It's a Lie, I Tell You
by Lyrasloon
Summary: Hiccup has had enough and takes Toothless to go and cool off. Running into Dagur was the last thing they expected, and that's not even their only problem...nothing will be the same after this. For anyone. *Race to the Edge spoilers ***
1. Revelations

A/N: So, since this is the second time I've had to type this up (for reasons I only wish I knew), I'm going to make the author's note a heck of a lot shorter than last time. In short, the chapters are a lot better than the prologue, so hang in there. So that's that. And I don't own HTTYD...yada yada yada.

*As a note, I will let you know two things, just because I'm being nice. #1: This takes place during RTTE time frame. That leads to #2: This means that yes, there's gonna be spoilers.

Prologue: Revelations

Hiccup lied back against Toothless and was trying to relax for just a few more minutes with a journal that Fishlegs had found on the dragon hunters' ship a good while ago. It had been taking him more time than he would have liked, sure, but that's what happens when you are constantly dealing with dragons, the twins and even his cousin...daily. Today seemed quiet, which was good for reading but he found it disconcerting. It was like the calm before the storm, or the explosion more like. Looking at Toothless, he could tell that the dragon was just as wary as he was.

"This is just hopeless! When I want nothing but peace and quiet I can never get it, but when I do I'm here waiting for Ragnarok. Something is going on here, Toothless."

As if someone had actually heard him, he found himself suddenly facing a sympathetic looking Astrid just as he got up to put the journal away. Looking at Toothless, he resigned himself to yet another day full of chaos. Astrid's appearance had him slightly worried, though.

"Astrid? What's going on? Which of them did something and what did they do?" he asked her, almost regretting it immediately.

"Well, it was the twins initially and then I can't say that Snotlout helped." she told him, not looking directly at his eyes. Why? It wasn't her fault, was it? "Come on. I'll just...show you."

The closer they got to clubhouse, the more Hiccup wished he could just go back to his place and make more futile attempts and reading that journal. He knew that he'd get next to nothing done, but he also knew that nothing good could be waiting for him behind these doors. He hated it when he was right in things like this. As she led him inside, Hiccup froze. He tried to convince himself that he was still asleep and that there wasn't all of this...chaotic mess around him. All of his research and his tools and their supplies...it was all over the room. His anger and frustration that had been lurking just beneath the surface for the past few days was begging to be let out. He had been up at the crack of dawn several days in a row, due to explosions and dragon issues and he was just tired. He was sure it was at least somewhat noticeable, but he wasn't going to let the exhaustion show. He was their leader and he couldn't afford to be weak. After taking a calming breath, he turned around and flew away from Dragon's Edge. He wasn't sure if anyone was calling him, and he didn't care. He just needed to calm down and get away from everyone for at least a while.

Toothless grumbled after a few minutes in concern, undoubtedly noticing Hiccup's mood. Just when he was about to reply, he saw a ship a little ways off.

"Hey, bud? Is it just me or does that ship look awfully familiar?" Hiccup muttered, almost to himself. "Let's fly low and try and get a good look at it."

Toothless flew lower like he was asked, but slapped Hiccup with his ear showing his disapproval. They both knew who that was, and the last time they almost didn't escape. That was a Beserker ship. That was Dagur.

Approaching low from the South, Dagur saw Hiccup and his Night Fury coming in cautiously.

'He's trying to be careful, obviously. I suppose I can't blame him, seeing as I did shoot arrows at him the last time I saw him. To be fair he did steal my beautiful Dragon Eye that I wanted so badly.' Dagur thought. 'However, with this new information I have come across, I wonder if he'll still stay with that...father of his.'

Toothless came closer and closer towards the stern and narrowed his eyes as Dagur told his men to hold their fire. It was a trick. It had to be. Glancing up at Hiccup, he was relieved to see that he had noticed it, too. It didn't make sense and he definitely wasn't sure what this Dagur had planned. He was as smart as he was devious, and it would be unwise to underestimate him. Hiccup leaned down a bit and made a final pass, just to make sure that they truly wouldn't fire their weapons. This time Hiccup was the one narrowing his eyes. He was obviously thinking just like Toothless.

"What is it that you're planning, Dagur?" Hiccup yelled down, keeping a safe distance just in case. Dagur always had been a wild card and spontaneous to be sure. They didn't call him Dagur the Deranged for nothing, after all. "What is it you're after this time? Is it the Dragon Eye or maybe my dragon knowledge?"

Dagur laughed with an almost genuine sound, which made all of the men shiver. Hiccup quirked an eyebrow, having not heard him laugh like that before either.

"No, no, no. It's nothing so...deranged as that, Hiccup." Dagur answered, struggling to keep a straight face. Odd as the sight was, Hiccup found it almost...nice? He shook his head vehemently.

"Forgive me for being so suspicious." Hiccup said flatly. "So, tell me then. Why are you here then? Are you just...you were looking for me?" he finished, both confused and shocked at his conclusion.

"Ahh, Hiccup. See, it's because I know that you're so smart that you'll figure out why it is exactly that I came out here to find you."

"Well, you're not here to fight?" HIccup guessed.

Dagur shook his head, smirking at playing with Hiccup's head.

"If it's not to fight, steal the Dragon Eye, or steal my...oh, come on! You can't be serious!" Toothless glanced at Hiccup curiously, so he explained somewhat confused himself. "He's hoping to make an alliance."

"Well, not when you're up there. Look, no one even has a weapon on them except for maybe you."

"What do you mean? I almost never carry a weapon with me..." Hiccup said, more confused than ever. Of course, Snotlout's remark about dragons being effective war machines that could blast people came to mind. "Oh, well I guess I can see your point somewhat." He knew it was coming, but the the third ear slap probably left a huge bruise. Toothless was going to be unbearable after this. "Let's go, bud."

Hiccup and Dagur were once again standing across from each other, with the tension being ten times thicker than it had been before. He didn't exactly know why, but it just felt different. Maybe it was because there were no rescue attempts involved or maybe it was because of all of the men waiting for him to do something wrong...

Dagur must have seen how tense Hiccup felt, because he dismissed all of the men in the immediate vicinity. Hiccup knew that he was banking on his personality and his inability to just take someone down who has no weapons whatsoever. The tense feeling had gone away a little bit, but it hadn't disappeared altogether. Dagur had watched Hiccup's inner turmoil and decided that he should just make the first move.

"You are right, Hiccup. I did come looking for you specifically. Of course, I do want an alliance with you, if not your little training club."

Hiccup looked at him confused, trying to put things together. Why would Dagur want him specifically?

'Is it because I am the heir of the Hairy Hooligans? No, that can't be it. He already said that he doesn't necessarily want my dragon knowledge, and he seems to be truthful about that part at least. So, why just me?'

"I can tell by the look on your face that you're trying to figure it out, so I guess I'll have to be a little more...detailed about certain things. I know about your ugly past, Hiccup, before you met Toothless. As much as I would like to say that we were actually friends, I know that I created much of that darkness." Dagur more or less whispered, turning around to try and look away from the pathetic look in Hiccup's eyes. They were quickly replaced by a look of...calm, which bordered on apathy. Dagur cleared his throat and turned back around, facing the apathy head on. "There is something you should know, which is something you should have been told when you were fifteen or so. However..."

"That was a time when everyone basically kicked me around?" Hiccup said flatly, all but reverting to his sarcasm. "Yeah, we've established that. Get to the point already."

"Geez, Hiccup. Here I was trying to soften the blow. Well, I suppose there's really no way around it since you're being so nice about things. Here it is: You're my brother and so I'd like to be allies instead."

Hiccup decided that if he'd actually been standing up that he would have collapsed then and there. There were plenty of responses on the tip of his tongue...angry ones, sarcastic ones, angsty ones. But all that came out was a barely whispered and oh so elequent

"Huh?"

"You said just spit it out, so that's what I did. You got what you wanted, Hiccup, yes?" Dagur asked patiently, which was...weird.

"Well, I just..." Hiccup muttered, confused at the turn of recent events. An alliance he could maybe handle, but how are they suddenly related?! "That's...No, just...I know it's not right! I may not know my mother, but I know my father! He'd never-"

"Why are you so angry, Hiccup? Is it that he never told you?"

"I'm not angry!"

"Oh, really? So, you aren't mad that Stoic the Vast just happened to not mention your mother isn't from Berk and that she was never supposed to be there?"

"He wouldn't lie about that!"

"Why not ask him the next time? Ask if you have a half brother? Look into his eyes and listen to what he says. His mouth might spout lies, but his eyes sure can't. Next time you go to Berk, ask where your mother is from. That is, if you're brave enough to face the truth...brother."

"Why? Why tell me this now?" Hiccup asked quietly, trying to get his mind off of things to no avail.

"Well, let's just say that allies are going to be a good thing to have when certain people come sailing this way."

"What are you talking about, Dagur?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure that you already have a good idea, seeing as you stole some things from their ship and all. They might not be too pleased with you specifically. You probably want to go prepare, seeing as you're the whole peacemaking type."

Hiccup's eyes widened drastically at the thought of his friends and Toothless in those cages, being tortured or even worse. Come to think of it, how many people knew about his mother's orgin's? Then again, it might just be a trick to lure him in. Either way, it wouldn't hurt to ask his father. Getting on Toothless, he glanced at his supposed half brother. He supposed that he should say something.

"Thanks, Dagur. I will be visiting Berk very soon and I'll find my answers, good or bad." he all but whispered, taking off. They flew at a slow pace back to Dragon's Edge, very aware of the fact that Astrid had tailed them some time ago. He wasn't really in the mood to race her or to answer questions about what she may or may not have heard. "Toothless, we're gonna have to lose her. You know what to do."

Finding a nearby cave, Toothless shot towards it, luring Astrid and Stormfly through the entrance. They always fell for that trick. They hid in the shadows until they were gone and stayed until well after the sun had set. Once they got back, there was packing to do anyway. Might as well rest in the meantime. Hiccup laid back against Toothless, as the dragon wrapped his wings around him for the night. Hiccup relaxed in the darkness and tried to forget about it all, at least for tonight.

"Goodnight Toothless" he mumbled, tiredly. Oh, Thor it had been an awfully long day and it was only going to get worse.

Toothless growled goodnight and curled up with him tucked safely inside. They'd worry about all of it tomorrow.

A/N: Wow. That turned out quite a bit longer than I thought it would. o_O Well, that's what happens when you write things on the fly. Granted, that's what most of my fics are- something I came up with and just immediately wrote down. Okeday, I'll see ya next chappie. Hopefully, that'll be soon. ;)


	2. Repercussions

A/N: Alright. So, here I am miraculously back a mere few days after just starting this fic. I have to say that this is going fairly well so far. I'll admit that I was truly taunted by an idea today that popped into my head for another fic. Luckily, I have learned to just write my ideas down. Let's just say that it is definitely not pretty when I have too many stories going at once.

Story thus far: Hiccup and Toothless have run into Dagur in the open water and are taken by surprise on many fronts, leaving Hiccup in shock and looking for answers. Noticing that he was being tailed by Astrid, he decides to lose her in the darkness of a cave. Left alone with Toothless for the night, Hiccup decides he needs to take action before things get any more out of control.

Chapter 1: Repercussions

The change in Hiccup's personality and daily habits was obvious. At first, he just tried to hide in his hut and refusing to leave until everyone fell asleep. It was obvious that he was in shock, but everyone at Dragon's Edge was waiting for the inevitable explosion. Granted, Hiccup was was pretty well known for his forgiving and non-violent tendencies, but anyone would explode at some point. Astrid wouldn't tell them all of the details she had heard and hadn't didn't know exactly what happened in Berk. What she did know made her wonder why Hiccup wasn't screaming at someone, like Stoic for example.

-several days earlier-

"Well Bud, this is it. We're heading out back to Berk tonight. I wish we could stay and explain things to everyone, but I don't know what I'd even say.." Hiccup whispered. As he finished packing Toothless' saddlebags, he wrote a quick note. He tried being as ambigious and yet specific as possible, if that even made sense.

Dear Gang:

I'm making a supply run back to Berk. Reading the journal has brought me to many conclusions, including the next few places we should try and visit. I should be back within a couple of days at most. Keep out of trouble and no more explosions!

-Hiccup

"There we go, bud. Do you think they'll go for it?" he asked, deciding to put it on the desk in plain sight. The only person who could possibly figure this out is Astrid and we'll be gone by the time she is up. It's the twins turn for night patrol, so it shouldn't be too hard." he mumbled as they cautiously took off into the night sky. It was quiet...almost eerily so. When Hiccup thought about it, this almost could be like a vacation were it not for his serious problem he'd be facing. How would he even ask that kind of question? It wasn't something they even talked about on a regular basis, or ever for that matter. "What am I going to do?"

Flying throughout the night, they got to Berk sooner than Hiccup truly wanted to. He'd been dreading having to land and eventually talk to his father. With his luck, his father would already be down at the docks with Bucket and Mulch. What Hiccup really wanted to do was to hide in the cove with Toothless for at least a few hours until he figured out how to broach the topic that was his mother. The problem was that there was nothing on this island that remained a secret for too long. Patting Toothless on his side, he slowed him down considerably and looked for his father. After what was probably more of a half-hearted search than anything else, they landed in the cove where Toothless finally went to lay down by the lake. Hiccup couldn't really blame him; they'd done a lot of flying lately.

"Sorry, we'll get some breakfast in a while bud. Just let me-"

"Hiccup!" he heard a voice from behind him, startling him from his thoughts. He froze for a moment, unwilling to turn around. He didn't know exactly what to say or do, so he just opted for making it up as he went along. What else was new?

"Hi...Dad." he answered, trying to sound enthusiastic about his sudden appearance. He was slightly curious about how he knew where to find him, but then again... "Who told you where I was?"

"Mulch did, although I didn't expect to see you for at least another month or so. What are you doing here?"

And there it is. Well, Dagur asked if he was brave enough to just ask him for answers and now here Stoic was asking him what he wanted. Well, no time like the present. If it was truly bad, he could just leave. Taking a deep breath, he did what Dagur asked and looked Stoic right in the eyes when he asked the inevitable.

"I've been doing some thinking lately and I want to talk about Mom." He had to admit that it took all he had to keep eye contact and not back away from someone who had always towered over him so easily.

"Why do you want to talk about Valka? Why all of the sudden?" Stoic asked, narrowing his eyes. Hiccup did his best not to jump in and tell him everything he knew, make him admit it straight away. However, he wasn't that foolish.

"I'm old enough now." Hiccup started ambigiously, trying for a more indirect approach. He'd see if Stoic fell for the trap and lure him in. He often fell for the 'give anything for your tribe' dialogue, anyway. "Whatever there was about her I couldn't know because I was too young is past time, don't you think?"

He watched Stoic's eyes widen for a moment, only to return to normal. It almost made him wonder if it was a trick of the eyes, but Dagur said everything would be in his eyes. This was ridiculous. though. Since when did he start listening to that deranged lunatic? Stoic then shook his head, as if ridding his mind of the notion.

"I've told you just about everything I can remember, son."

"What do you mean 'just about' everything? You're lying to me about something aren't you?" Hiccup told him more than asked. He knew the answer right away, even without Dagur's advice, helpful as it was. He was ready to unleash the fury that had been building up inside of him these past several days. "What else are you lying about? Don't lie to me, because I'm VERY close to losing my temper right now."

"Hiccup, why are you so-"

"Answer me! What haven't you told me about Mom?" he demanded, clenching his fists at his side to try and reign in his temper. He wouldn't get answers by just yelling. He heard his father sigh, and turn away from him slightly. That wasn't a good sign.

"What is it that you already know? And who is it that told you?" he asked in a low and quiet tone.

"It's not important who told me, is it?" Hiccup sighed, somehow finding himself drained by just talking about all of this. "I'll tell you what I know, but only if you don't lie. Promise me THAT much, at least." he finished, looking up at his Dad when he had to sit down. Seeing him reluctantly nod, he carried on. "I know that she was a Berserker and that she wasn't supposed to be here, whatever that means...that I have a brother."

"Valka was a Berserker, I can tell you that much. She was brought here after a dragon raid had destroyed their ship and she just never went back. I'm pretty sure that she mentioned you having a brother back on the island."

Hiccup stared at his Dad in shock, unable to comprehend the events of his past. In all honesty, he really had no idea where to go from here.

"Why would you just...you didn't think of maybe taking her back?"

"There were dragons to deal with and then eventually you came along. Things just happened, son."

Hiccup stood up silently, nodding his head. He really didn't want to deal with this right now. After getting Toothless some breakfast, they headed back towards Dragon's Edge hoping everyone was sleeping when they got there.

It was because of all of this that Astrid now found herself outside of his hut, while everyone else was hiding in the shadows. Cowards.

'Its obvious they just want to hang around and see how things turn out, yet they don't want to bother helping me out at all.'

Looking at the door, she sighed and raised her hand to knock only to pause right before her hand hit the door. What could she possibly say to him? 'Tough luck, let's go get some air?' Suddenly frustrated, she thought over her other option, being just dragging him out here. That might not turn out well, but she'd get there eventually. Raising her hand to knock again, she followed through and just opened the door when she didn't get an answer. Once inside, she forced her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room and immediately saw Toothless. Poor Toothless probably hadn't left Hiccup's side in days knowing him. She didn't know who looked more depressed at that moment, Toothless or Hiccup.

A/N: Okay, I'm unfortunately going to stop here for the night, only because its almost 5 am. If it were closer to say, midnight, I'd plow on through. I'll probably finish this next part (II and possibly III) within a few days. Trust me, things get more interesting after all the drama. Remote islands, secret messages, etc. mwah haha! XD


	3. Repercussions Pt 2

A/N: I'm back and doing pretty awesome with this story so far, methinks. Usually I end up taking several days to kick the writer's block, but I think I have a rhythm going. I figured that (even though it's only 7 pm) I should get a head start so I'm not stuck trying to write at 5 am when I'm barely awake. -_-'

Last chapter: Hiccup decided to take Dagur's advice and go to Berk, trying to get some answers to his past. What he finds out is not exactly what he wanted to hear, leaving him with even more questions than he had initially. Flying back to the Edge, he has secluded himself with Toothless, who refuses to leave him. Astrid has finally decided to intervene, and sees them both incredibly depressed...

Chapter 2: Repercussions, Pt 2

Astrid had to admit that the tense atmosphere was a little shocking at first, because she wasn't entirely ready for how overwhelming it was. Keeping her true thoughts to herself, she stopped in front of Toothless and glanced at a pathetic looking Hiccup.

"It'll be okay, Toothless; I'm really worried about him, too." she admitted, shaking her head at the sight before her. She could tell just by looking at him that he hadn't been eating like he should or sleeping, for that matter. She wasn't sure why, but it made her heart ache at the sight...almost overwhelmingly so. He looked so pale, with circles under his eyes plainly visible. He had fallen asleep at his desk with his head cradled in his arms, obviously because he had just collapsed from exhaustion. After a moment's hesitation, she shook his shoulder, probably a little too harshly. Hiccup's head snapped up in surprise, undoubtedly thinking he was still alone with only Toothless in the poor idiot.

"Wha-? Astrid! What are you...I mean, why are you here?" he stuttered, struggling to his feet...foot. Astrid narrowed her eyes, as she noticed how unsteady he was.

"We need to talk, Hiccup. I've let you have your way, and given you your space. I knew that you probably needed to take time on your own, but this? Whatever you're doing right now isn't healthy."

"Are you done?" Hiccup asked, already sounding tired.

"It depends on what you have to say, really." she muttered, trying not to notice how exhausted he looked.

"I thought as much" Hiccup replied quietly, sighing almost inaudibly. She could tell that he was tired, but most of that had to do with the fact that he didn't eat that much these days. Her thoughts were interrupted by Hiccup's flat tone. "I was actually starting to wonder how long it would take for you to burst in here."

"I didn't-"

"Well, I didn't answer. So, technically you did." Hiccup argued, smiling unconvincingly. Astrid, however, was far from amused. With a great deal of effort, she barely managed to restrain herself from either lashing out or rolling her eyes.

'Oh Thor, he's going to make this incredibly difficult.'

Just as she was going to open her mouth to make what was probably going to be a less than pleasant reply, she heard Toothless whine and look at her sadly. She knew that he'd never really liked it when they argued, but this was different. This was about saving him. If she had to drag him out by his ear to manage it, he'd come with her. Looking at Toothless, it occurred to her-

"Hiccup." Astrid turned back to face him, glaring at him knowingly. He flinched, but didn't move. "How long has Toothless been inside with you?"

Hiccup looked at the floor in interest, like he was slowly trying to count the days. She wasn't stupid and he knew that. Glancing up, he knew that whatever answer he gave wouldn't be the right one. Sighing, he figured answering was FAR better than being quiet. Probably.

"Um, I-I'm not exactly s-sure. I think it's p-probably been...a few...days?" Hiccup mumbled, hoping she wouldn't really hear him. He should've realized that he never really had that kind of luck anyways.

"Uh huh." she said, almost as quietly. He gulped, hoping impending death wasn't in the next sentence. "So, what do you think you should be doing?" he heard, which made him relieved and yet frightened all at once.

"I should maybe-" he started, right before he was suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

"There is no 'maybe' here, Hiccup. This isn't a negotiation. You WILL be getting ready to leave right this minute or I will take you by force. And let me promise you, that will not be pretty."

Ah, so there was a threat. Hiccup winced slightly at the implications of exactly what said threat would entail. Astrid saw his hesitation and started dragging him towards Toothless. She saw him look Toothless in the eyes and then glance at her. She was starting to lose her patience, which was never a good thing. He felt himself sweat and felt faint. He knew it had nothing to do with his sugar levels, and everything to do with what was sure to be his impending doom via Astrid.

"A-Astrid?" he started, only to flinch as he met her eyes. She was looking at him suspiciously, which was only made the pit in his stomach feel even deeper. "So, I-I was thinking that maybe you should-"

"HICCUP HORRENDOUS HADDOCK III! DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!" Astrid yelled, making both Hiccup and Toothless flinch at the volume. Hiccup gulped. He was pretty sure that he'd accomplished a lot in his life, but whatever goals he had for his future...well, he was about to die anyway. He gulped taking a few steps back from the enraged shieldmaiden.

"N-Now Astrid, j-just calm down. Please." he begged, which he was quite sure came out as a squeaky whisper.

Toothless looked at Hiccup, who looked even more pale than before and ready to pass out from the stress. Astrid looked furious, which was really confusing. Hadn't they been getting ready to leave just now? Toothless grumbled in frustration, not entirely caring if Astrid caused at least a little bodily harm to Hiccup. She'd never do anything truly harmful, he knew that. Besides, it might even get him out of this weird mood he'd been in lately.

Astrid had been as patient as she deemed was possible had threatened Hiccup three more times before having to resort to her last resort. It usually was her only plan, but she knew that it would have only pushed him away. That's just the kind of person he was; he was irritatingly stubborn. Sometimes, she wondered why she even bothered. She opened the door to his hut, only to find the twins, Snotlout and Fishlegs making a pathetic attempt to 'act natural'. Gritting her teeth, she mounted Stormfly and hovered in the air.

"Get him, Toothless!" she yelled, taking off towards the other end of the island. She knew that the others weren't going anywhere anytime soon. It frustrated her, because she knew that was the cause of at least half of her problems.

"Toothless, no! I'm not going, okay?" Hiccup told him, looking tired as ever. The night fury roared loudly in frustration, proceeding to hit his tail on the floor several times. "Come on! Would you just...if you stop making so much noise, then we'll go on night patrol later."

Toothless was obviously less than impressed with this ultimatum, but acquiesnced in the end. He had heard Hiccup promising him things like this before Astrid came and yelled at him. Toothless knew that if anyone could get him from merely promising things to leaving, it would be Astrid. He knew he wouldn't get anywhere with Hiccup, being stubborn as everyone knew him to be. Going to the door, Toothless called for Stormfly and Astrid to come back. If Hiccup thought that he had won this fight, he was in for a surprise...and possibly a threat or two.

Astrid was flying over Dragon's Edge in what could only be called a lazy circle. She was hoping that Hiccup would have been joining her and Stormfly by now. Knowing Hiccup had been in what was steadily becoming a self destructive state, she knew that she had to do something. Being so deep in thought, she almost didn't hear Toothless calling her for help.

A/N: And yet again, I find myself needing to stop because of circumstances beyond my control. -_-' But I promise (seeing as it's only 9:15 p) I should be able to get another chapter posted. Probably. XD


	4. Repercussions Pt 3

A/N: Like I said, I'm back already! So, I'm willing to settle in and stay until the wee hours of the morn if it'll get things done, but I'm kinda hoping that it won't be that way for two days straight. As much of a fan I can be when it comes to writing, I really don't think I want to do it for that long without a break. But first (just because I haven't done it yet), I will say some things for the people that have reviewed.

anjion: I promise that I am writing as fast (probably a lot faster than usual) as I can.

ilovedogs100: Thank you very much! It's one of my favorite things to do, but I keep running out of pens. XD

Last chapter: Astrid has used several methods in an effort to get Hiccup out of his hut and on Toothless. As a last resort, she left Toothless to make him go while she waited with Stormfly.

Being so deep in thought, she almost didn't hear Toothless calling her for help.

Chapter 3: Repercussions, Pt 3

"That stubborn idiot." she muttered, sighing in frustration. "I guess we're going back, Stormfly. I should have known he was going to be a handful."

As they landed on the platform, Astrid noticed everyone still lingering around Hiccup's hut. She gripped Stormfly's saddle so tightly that her knuckles were turning white and took her time getting off. Upon seeing Toothless, she gave him a signal to stay put. He looked like a pouting puppy, which almost made her laugh. Well, it was true that she had to deal with Hiccup still, but first things first she supposed. Looking at the group, she knew that there was only one way to get things through their thick heads and it wasn't going to be pretty. Being none too gentle, she pushed everyone until they were a safe distance from the hut. She had a feeling that she was going to be falling back into what Hiccup so lovingly called her "drill sergeant" mode.

"So, it appears I found something on my way back from patrol." Astrid started, giving them a deceptive smile. The twins and Snotlout looked at her lost, trying to figure out where she was going with this; Fishlegs was gaping in undisguised horror and understanding. Oh, this wasn't good...at all.

"Did you find treasure?" Tuffnut guessed excitedly.

"I want treasure!" Ruffnut argued, looking at her brother and forgetting all about Astrid.

"I saw it first!" Tuffnut yelled back, only arguing for the sake of it now.

"We don't even know if there is a treasure, you muttonheads!" Snotlout yelled, frustrated with the twins' argument.

Fishlegs glanced at Astrid, who was now glaring at the oblivious group. He wanted to try and escape, but common sense told him that would only make things worse. As the arguing continued, he felt like he should try and intervene before she felt violence was necessary.

"Um, guys? Astrid is trying to-" he said, hoping to calm things down before they got too out of hand. However, it seemed that it just wasn't meant to be.

"ENOUGH!" she yelled, making everyone freeze in their tracks. Fishlegs knew what was coming; he just hoped it didn't involve an axe or something else equally sharp and deadly.

"I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU GUYS!"

"Hey! What did we-" Snotlout tried to ask. Fishlegs did his best to try and tell him to just be quiet, but it was too late. He tried telling him it was a bad idea and that he'd only enrage her even more, unlikely as that even was at the moment. After failing to get said message across, Fishlegs took a few steps back. Whatever was about to happen between the two of them was something he wanted absolutely no part in. Snotlout stiffened considerably as her axe was suddenly mere inches away from his neck.

"If I had wanted you to speak, I would have asked. Are we clear?"

Snotlout looked around at everyone else, seeing them trying to make a conscious effort not to touch their own necks.

"Y-Yes." he said, barely managing an answer.

"Good." she said, taking the axe away from his neck. "Now, I want you all to listen to me very carefully." she went on, pausing to take a deep breath. She started walking in a big circle around the group, making them nervous while she spoke. "I DO NOT APPRECIATE THIS BEHAVIOR OF YOURS! HE IS OUR BEST FRIEND. WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO PLACE BETS ON HIM?" she asked, her gaze lingering on the twins and Snotlout. "YOU THINK LINGERING BY HIS HUT AND EAVESDROPPING IS HELPING HIM? SOME FRIENDS YOU LOT ARE!" she finished and turned to leave. Without turning around, she stopped to glance over her shoulder. "Also, I want you all to apologize or my axe will be the least of your problems. And Fish, you have patrol."

Watching her walk away left everyone remaining frozen in fear of her returning at any moment. After about five minutes of complete silence, things continued as they had, albeit at a more subdued pace.

"She is seriously scary when she gets mad." Ruffnut whispered, as if afraid that said person would overhear.

"Yeah, I know; almost like Hiccup when-" Tuffnut started when Ruffnut covered his mouth. Snotlout freaked out, frantically searching the area for Astrid's sudden return at the mention of Hiccup's name. Fishlegs left to go on night patrol...several hours early. Better safe than sorry when it came to Astrid.

"You muttonhead! Astrid was just here yelling at us about talking about that for like, twenty minutes!" Snotlout yelled, tackling him to the ground. "How about we don't say his name at all?"

Tuffnut looked so confused that you could practically see the steam coming out of his ears from his brain working overtime. After a few minutes, it clicked and he nodded while looking at his twin. Snotlout couldn't have predicted what happened next if he tried, for behind him he suddenly heard Ruffnut proclaiming her brother's thoughts. Loudly.

"Oh. You mean Hiccup?!"

Snotlout dragged his hand over his face and muttered. He didn't know how Hiccup did it, putting up with these two on a daily basis.

"You guys are muttonheads." he said, pointing at them. "If you want Astrid back here yelling at you and pointing her axe at YOU, fine with me. I'm done."

Astrid could hear Snotlout yelling and saw him take off towards the direction of what she guessed was the clubhouse. She didn't really care too much at the moment, seeing as she had other things on her moment. She looked at the pouting night fury in the doorway and gave him a small smile. She rolled her eyes and pointed in Hiccup's direction, ready for round two. She figured there was no time like the present, seeing as there was now no one outside and she had given him time to make his own decision. Well, she gave him the easy way out, so she might even have to resort to just taking his leg. Ruthless and probably a little low, but whatever works. Toothless sat on the other side of the desk waiting to see how this one would end; hopefully Hiccup would actually leave this time. He watched as Astrid looked at a half asleep Hiccup, who had reclaimed his seat at the desk. He had yet to notice her, but that worked for her plan; she wasn't about to let this one slide. She leaned inches away from his ear and whistled as loud as possible, then backed up quickly. True to form, Hiccup shot up and was clutching his ear that was probably ringing. Looking around the room for the source of the noise and saw Astrid leaning against Toothless casually. He paled, realizing what that meant. He was in so much trouble. She looked at him and smiled with a 'you have no idea what kind of trouble you're in right now' look. He gulped, trying not to step back against the desk. He looked at Toothless and turned away, unwilling to face what he saw as betrayal.

"Don't blame Toothless! You're the stubborn idiot that won't listen to a word I say."

Hiccup glanced in her direction and then at Toothless, knowing that she wouldn't leave until he cooperated. Honestly, he just couldn't find it in himself to care. Things were just so messed up, but he couldn't really tell everyone about it. He didn't know what everyone else already knew, but he wasn't sure he wanted to really find out. Clenching his fists, he looked at her warily. He supposed the more important question was what did SHE know? He truly wanted to ask, but...

"Astrid, are they still out there?" he asked her quietly, looking at the doorway. Sure, it seemed a lot more quiet than it usually was, but that didn't mean much. She gave him a relieved smile and shook her head, as if reading his mind.

"No, not anymore. I scared them off a little while ago." she told him, walking towards the door and waiting there for him. She wasn't going to be making the mistake of leaving without him being right behind her. When she looked at him expectantly, he paled as if knowing the alternative. She sighed, not even bothering to play at being nice and patient anymore. Whistling to Toothless, she let him wait outside. This wasn't going to be pretty and she was done playing nice. Walking across the room, she stepped right in front of him and grabbed his arm so he couldn't escape if he tried. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III." she said sharply, looking him in the eyes. He couldn't help but flinch at the use of his full name and what that meant. He was in serious trouble.

"Y-Yes?" he whispered, trying to stay calm in the face of what he knew was about to be some serious rage if he wasn't super careful.

"You have two choices right now, understand?" she told him, making sure he was listening. "Do you know what those choices are?"

"Staying or leaving?" Hiccup guessed...wrong. He saw a glint in her eyes which he took to mean 'you guessed wrong, idiot. If you were in trouble before, you better hope she forgot her axe.' He gulped when he saw it glinting in the moonlight. Great.

"Not. Even. Close." she said, removing the aforementioned weapon and twirling it in her free hand casually. Hiccup tried to at least get out of range, but she had an ironclad grip on his arm.

"I-I don't suppose you'll uh...tell...me?" he asked quietly, keeping his eyes fixed on the axe. He knew that she wouldn't do anything past hitting him on the head with the flat side, but that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt.

"As it stands, you have two options, here." she continued, as if she hadn't even heard him. Ouch. "You either come with me willingly or I will drag you out of here, even if it means you being unconscious."

Hiccup's eyes widened dramatically as he imagined his limp body being dragged out of here. He knew she was serious, too. Apparently, she had run out of patience and that was never a good thing. In the back of his mind, he thought he was hearing a countdown until he realized that it was Astrid. If he didn't make up his mind, that axe would come barreling towards his head faster than he could say night fury.

"...4, 3, 2-"

"Okay, okay! Just don't kill me!" Hiccup said, trying to imagine his blood all over the floor. Granted, he'd seen it before, but he really was in no particular rush to see it again. The next thing he knew he was on Toothless and on the other side of the island, sitting on one of the beaches with Astrid. The dragons were running around somewhere, he knew. He felt Astrid's gaze once more and laid down in the sand to relax. He knew she was dying to ask him his reasons for the seclusion. He had come back and barely left his room since. When he fell off of Toothless just mere moments ago, he could hardly hear her yelling for him to wake up until it was almost too late. It was only pure dumb luck that he managed to survive, having gotten on Toothless at quite literally the last second. He wasn't exactly sure what to tell her, but he figured if there was anyone he could tell; it had to be her and perhaps only her. He looked at her, hoping she wouldn't abandon him after she found out what he truly was. Taking a breath to calm himself, he looked at her and found her sitting inches away from him and looking at him too. How did she do that? Shaking it off mentally, he started at the same time she did.

"Astrid, I-"

"Hiccup, we-"

After they both stopped and blinked for a moment, Hiccup resigned to let her go first. He could wait, after all.

"Go ahead, Astrid. It's fine." he said, giving her another unconvincing smile.

"Well, I was just going to ask what was going on with you is all. I'll do my best to help you, if I can." she said to him, looking shy for the first time since he had known her. At first, Hiccup felt shocked at the proclamation, but then he immediately felt relieved and smiled a genuine smile for the first time in a long while.

"You have no idea how much I needed to hear that right now, Astrid." Hiccup told her, letting out a breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding. He laughed a hollow laugh and ran a hand through his hair, trying to gather some courage for what he needed to say. "The thing is...Astrid, I-I'm, um-" he started to say and then gave up. He stood up and started pacing, trying to come up with a way to just...let it all out. He had been drowning in all of these secrets and lies, trying to come up with ways to save everyone from the upcoming threat. It was consuming him and he knew it; Astrid knew it, too. She looked at him in concern, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Hiccup, what's wrong?" she asked, standing up next to him and making him look right at her. Looking him in the eyes, she could tell he was on the verge of collapse both physically and emotionally. There was something lurking below the surface and it would consume him unless he told someone. "Please, Hiccup; tell me what's wrong?"

"You'd never see me as the same person again, Astrid. I know that I don't." he told her looking away. She grabbed his chin, making him look at her. He was scared to death that her opinion of him would change. They had been through a lot together, so she could see why he felt this way. Scooting as close as she could, she gave him a hug and decided he needed to just think it through.

"I promise that I will do my best. I will probably be shocked, judging by behavior, but I will share your burden. Tell me what's on your mind, okay? It hurts me to see you like this." she told him softly, letting him take his time. Whatever it was that was bothering him couldn't be a good thing. She heard him take a deep, if not shaky breath.

"I-I learned from my...dad that my mom was a Berserker and that she was rescued when dragons attacked her ship. He basically kidnapped her, Astrid." he said numbly.

Astrid gasped and looked at him in horror, shocked that his father would even do such a thing. But she could tell by the look on his face that it wasn't even close to being the worst of his news.

"I was...told that I had...have a brother. I still have a brother and he came to find me because he didn't know either until recently." Astrid just nodded, trying to take it all in. Hiccup knew she had figured out who it was. She had followed him that day, after all.

"There's something else, isn't there?" she asked quietly, looking at his face carefully. He looked almost...guilty. "What is it?"

"Dagur wants to be allies, because he says that the dragon hunters are coming. He says that they would probably be after me in particular since I stole from the ship, taking the Dragon Eye."

"Is he positive? I'm not saying he's lying, but..."

"I think so, Astrid. He was right about my mother, after all. He warned me to get as many allies as possible. I can't say that I disagree, seeing as once they find out where the Dragon Eye is-"

"They'll probably come looking for it. That makes a lot of sense, actually. I guess you really have had quite a bit on your mind, haven't you?"

"Yeah, just a little."

Astrid looked at him and was mad at herself for letting him do this; she should have intervened sooner. He looked at her suspiciously, wondering what she was thinking.

"What is it?" he asked, right before getting smacked on the arm none too lightly. Yeah, she was mad at him, alright. He didn't think he would ever understand her.

"You stubborn idiot!" she yelled at him, though not nearly as loud as before. "Don't you trust me at all? I mean, obviously you do, otherwise you wouldn't have told me at all. But you should have said something sooner you muttonhead! Do you not realize how worried I was or Toothless even?!"

After an indeterminable amount of time, Hiccup bit his lip and brought his knees up to his chest.

"I'm sorry, Astrid. I just...I think that I didn't want to burden you with my problems. I trust you with my life; you know that. I just don't want everyone to know yet, so-"

"I won't tell anyone, but you should know that someone will say something eventually. I won't but you know that someone will find out and the next thing you know-"

"-half of Berk knows? Yeah, I realize that." Hiccup mumbled, uncurling himself so he could look her straight in the eye. "Astrid, I have to know something and I...want you to be totally honest with me."

Astrid's eyes widened a bit at this, before she found herself nodding. She knew what he was about to ask, and she wasn't sure what her answer even was. What was she supposed to say? For the second time in one day she found herself trying and failing to come up with an answer.

"Tell me the truth, Astrid. Knowing who I am...WHAT I am, do you still think I am a decent person? Berserkers are...they aren't seen in the best of light sometimes. Would you still accept me as your friend or am I going to be an outcast...again?" he said quietly, almost not wanting to know the answer. She had been quiet for too long. Was her answer yes or no? He just couldn't understand why! How could she just not answer him? Standing up, he walked several feet away and started shaking in frustration. He held back the tears he knew were there, just begging to be released. Why couldn't she just answer him?

"Hiccup-"

A/N: Yeah, yeah. I know, I'm completely evil. Will she turn away from him to leave yet another crack in his heart or support him in his time of need? And...coming up is our brothers being reunited? Spies are coming soon and what's with the secret messages? XD


	5. April Fools

So. Due to a lack of views, readers and or reviews in general, I've decided to go ahead and put this fic on hiatus. Possibly long term.

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Yeah, yeah...just kidding. I'd never do that. April Fools! I never do run whole April Fools thing, I'll admit, but its good to remind people that yes (surprise, surprise) I DO have a sense of humour. XD

I'll be submitting my next chapter in a few hours, more this likely. I just had to do this before it was too late. Sorry... Sorta.


	6. Answers Lead to Planning

A/N: Yeah...so sorry if I kinda scared and or made you at least slightly angry at me for my April Fool's joke, but like I said before...I really never prank anyone. Actually, I don't think it's really possible for me to pull one off, except with some major help. XD Anywho...on to more important things, like this fic which is driving me crazy! I have it pretty much planned out...and yet not, so I apologize if this chapter is bad.

On an additional note, I thought I'd apologize for the super late update. My family has had (still is actually) an emergency and things have just been so hectic that I've basically going to sleep when I have the chance. I hope you'll forgive me, and this particular chapter might be kinda short. Sorry, but I'll make it up to you within the next day or so.

Last chapter (all three parts of Repercussions): A LOT of stuff happened to our poor Hiccup, leaving him both emotionally and physically drained. He finally tells Astrid the truth, but is still afraid of what her opinion is of him...

Chapter 4: Answers Lead to Planning?!

 _"Tell me the truth, Astrid. Knowing who I am...WHAT I am, do you still think I am a decent person? Berserkers are...they aren't seen in the best of light sometimes. Would you still accept me as your friend or am I going to be an outcast...again? he asked quietly, almost not wanting to know that answer._

 _She had been quiet for too long. Was her answer yes or no? He just couldn't understand why! How could she just not answer him? Standing up, he walked several feet away and started shaking in frustration. He held back the tears he knew were there, just begging to be released. Why couldn't she just answer him?_

 _"Hiccup?-"_

Hiccup didn't turn around or even glance in Astrid's direction, showing his frustration and even his fear. She had just been quiet for too long and hadn't shown him anything but uncertainty as far as he could tell. He believed her promise when he had told her his big secret. She wouldn't say anything until he did, of that much he was quite certain. He told himself repeatedly in the past few days that no one could possibly understand or would even try to. Talking to Astrid and then having to endure this silence felt like hours of torture. He heard her get up and walk towards him; approaching him as if he were some skittish animal that was prepared to flee at a moment's notice. He barely suppressed a flinch when she had just barely touched his shoulder. At the moment, he was quite literally forcing himself to stay and listen; he was not a coward.

"Hiccup, just calm down. I'll answer you, but I don't think you can even hear me at this point." Astrid said, sighing.

She thought that this might happen, but she knew there was nothing she could do. He was caught in his own version of self torture, and she had no idea how to get through to him. Initially, she had thought about getting Toothless, but had dismissed that thought almost immediately. If there was one thing she knew about Hiccup, it was how he felt about burdening others. Of course, she knew Toothless wouldn't feel that way, but Hiccup wouldn't see it that way. As out of character as it may have seemed, she decided to simply wait there patiently for what felt like hours. She knew he was still feeling...skittish and more than slightly abandoned already, which was the only reason she hadn't tried to knock some sense into him yet.

"Hiccup, are you listening?! Come on!" Astrid asked...demanded. She got as close as she dared and prepared herself just in case he decided to run. Although she knew his response was mostly her fault, he WAS the one that demanded an answer to such a thought provoking question. As predicted, he started to back up slowly, while trying not to appear surprised that she was so close. She grabbed his wrist as he started to back up, just in case he decided that running was the better option. There was no way that she was letting him go back into hiding after something like this. She saw him glance at her with a look that she hadn't seen for three or four years. The uncertainty she saw shook her to the core so much that she almost dropped his hand.

"Hiccup, please don't-"

"You were quiet, Astrid." Hiccup interrupted her softly, barely loud enough for her to even hear. For a moment, she wasn't quite sure he had actually spoken until he repeated himself a few more times. "You were quiet, very quiet. You didn't say anything and it was quiet."

She shook herself from the stupor she was in and witheld a sigh, knowing that getting too frustrated with him wouldn't matters at all.

"Come on, Hiccup! You can't ask me so many questions at once and just expect me to be able to answer you straight away!"

"What? I-I don't understand what you mean." he told her, looking at her with this look of ultimate confusion on his face. She studied him for a moment, as if trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or not. It's not as if she had to ask; the poor guy couldn't lie to save his life. Still...he was looking at her as if she had just told him that Fishlegs was a distant relative of hers.* The guy was oblivious, wasn't he?!

"You're being serious, aren't you?" Astrid asked, merely curious. Hiccup hestitated, trying to figure out where the conversation was really headed but acquinced.

"Yes, why would I lie to you about it?"

Astrid could tell that he was making an effort to not show how truly hurt he felt by her asking such a thing. She tried to make her expression more neutral and less...accusing, but she wasn't entirely convinced that she had succeeded in that prospect.

"I was just wondering, that's all; no need to get defensive. I just..." Astrid stopped, almost unsure how to continue with what she was trying to say. Hiccup looked at her curiously, and gave a small smile as he saw her bite her lip. If the conversation weren't so serious, he might've actually laughed. "Let me put it to you this way, then. Hiccup, you are undoubtedly the smartest guy I know."

"Astrid-" he mumbled, cutting off what he felt was some unecessary and probably untrue speech. Looking at the sand, he saw more than heard her come close again. He tried not to flinch, hoping against all hope that she left her axe with Stormfly this time. Hopefully.

"Listen here, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III." she said, gripping his chin probably a little too forcefully. As he was once again having to look into her sharp eyes, he was amazed at the determination and...guilt in her eyes. What was she feeling so guilty about these days? "I hope you're listening, because I really don't want to say this more than this one time. Dragon Boy, you are the smartest person I know and-"

"Astrid, what about-"

"Hiccup, don't interrupt! I'm trying to tell you something!" Astrid barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes at the idiot, but could not stop the sigh that escaped. "Just...listen. I know what you think about yourself, especially nowadays. You should understand that are a lot smarter than I am...than any of us are, INCLUDING Fishlegs. Now, do you want me to answer your question?"

"I-I do." he told her quietly, sounding uncertain again. She had noticed that since this whole thing had started, he had been getting more and more uncertain of himself. Obviously, she'd have to try and help him fix that somehow.

"Promise me that you'll let me finish and that you won't just run away when I'm still talking. This conversation is important; we both know that."

She watched his inner struggle and it bothered her, knowing that she had really just hoped for him to say yes right away. She knew that he trusted her inexplicably, which is probably WHY it bothered her so much. She understood why, though. His world-or maybe what he had thought was his world had been thrown into utter chaos; all of his boundary lines were becoming blurry. She supposed that she would be become skeptical, too; if not paranoid altogether. Her own inner monologue was cut off as he had apparently made up his mind. She was glad to see that determined look back in his eyes, even if it was only temporary. Looking him straight in the eyes, she tried to be as straightforward as she possibly could; she didn't want for there to be any holes or misconceptions whatsoever.

"I suppose the best way to answer your question is to be as truthful as possible, so I think that no matter what you are still you. Yes, your father lied about your mother and yes that makes things different for you. But has it changed you as a person? No. It won't change you unless you let it, but you knew that already."

Hiccup looked at her for a minute and then two, almost as if he was sure that she would change her mind. When she didn't say anything else, he fell to his knees in relief. Astrid could see the relief on his face, leaving her to wonder what would have happened if she had turned away from him. She shuddered at the thought, trying not to imagine the consequences of something like that. She couldn't help but wonder when and what would happen after they told the rest of the group about this secret. It was inevitable and they both knew it, but she was pretty sure that right now Hiccup wanted to ignore it. It made her sad to think about what could happen if this suddenly came out by accident, as opposed to him just telling them because he chose to. There were so many problems to deal with that it was just outright overwhelming. Sitting next to Hiccup, she leaned against him lightly. The last thing she needed was for him to collapse outright. Inwardly she was frustrated and contemplating finding something to hit, while on the outside she radiated calm. She knew the next convesation was going to be even worse. They still had to figure out what to do with these dragon hunters that were coming; then there was that alliance with Dagur...

"Astrid, we should talk about-"

"You want to talk about that tonight? If you hadn't noticed, it is getting rather late." she answered, nodding towards the moon. Had they really been out here that long? "I know what you want to talk about, but it's late and if we're going to re-introduce you to the public tomorrow; we should at least try to get a few hours of sleep."

Hiccup gave her a look mixed between shock and betrayal, which was fair, she supposed. She knew it was coming, but had to yank him out of the hut eventually. He couldn't just hide in there forever and ignore everyone. He was the heir for Thor's sake! She hadn't noticed Toothless and Stormfly sneaking up on the both of them, which would be creating the perfect escape if she let him get on the dragon. Well, not if she had anything to say about it. Looking at Toothless, she gave him the same sign as earlier. Of course, his reaction was just the same to do; he was just as predictable as his master. She rolled her eyes as Toothless turned his back towards them and sat down while Hiccup just looked at her flabbergasted.

"Don't look so surprised. Like you've said before, a promise of fish can go a long way; particularly that Iceland cod he seems to like so much. Now, down to business."

Hiccup sat down, obviously in a pout and started to absently draw in the sand. He'd listen, but that didn't mean he was happy about it.

"You are going to get out of that hut of yours if I have to drag you out each and every day. I will find it perfectly understandable if you get tired at first, since you might not have the stamina; but you are not going back to that hut until sunset."

"But I-"

"Unless you are in pain, dead or dying, or something of equally great importance, there's no reason that you should be in that hut during the day. You don't have to tell them anything, I've pretty much made sure of that. You will have to get out and about or I'll let them do whatever they want."

"That's blackmail! You can't-"

"Whatever works for you; it's not blackmail, though." Astrid told him indifferently, getting on Stormfly. As far as she was concerned, this particular conversation was over. There were no negotiations and he'd just have to learn to live with it.

"What are you calling it, then?" Hiccup said, practically shouting as she started to take off towards her hut.

"If you don't like blackmail, just call it incentive. We'll finish this conversation later, and I'll come get you if you're not out of that hut!" she shouted cheerily. Hiccup sighed and leaned on Toothless.

"Incentive is just a pretty word for blackmail. I'm pretty sure she's using the fact that I like her too much to use my position against her, Bud. I suppose its for the best in the end, anyway." Hiccup mumbled, getting on Toothless and heading towards his own hut.

The best he could do was hope that tomorrow would pass quickly. He wondered if it was wrong for him to be thinking that way. Astrid was right, when she had told him that it would come out eventually. They'd find out somehow; the question was when he should tell them. He trusted them, so why was it so hard to just tell them? He told Astrid, but he had just about had a panic attack when he was waiting for her answer. They had too many problems for him to even deal with trying to figure this particular problem out. He'd ask Astrid tomorrow when they talked about the dragon hunters and his plan as how to deal with them. Granted, it was one of his more crazy plans; he'd admit that much. Though, at this point, he was pretty sure he didn't really have much to lose; Astrid might kill him for suggesting it, however. As preoccupied as he was, he barely remembered dismounting, let alone getting back to his hut. As he said goodnight to Toothless, he stared at the ceiling before finally shutting his eyes.

A/N: Sooo...like I said, I'm sorry if things aren't up to par. My stepfather's mother has been in the hospital and things are just chaotic. I'll try to do better on the next one. Promise. ^_^


	7. Planning to Deceive Them

A/N: I have returned! It's a miracle, I know, but I am back. So, I'll apologize for taking so long to update, but things have been super crazy here and that is by no means an understatement. I could bore you with the details, but that's not what you're here for. ~_^

*Additionally~ for anyone who caught the reference to my other story in the last chapter deserves a well earned kudos. Good work. Of course, you probably wouldn't forget the epic facepalming you did if you read that story. Heh heh.

To my latest reviewer, RUBY JEMS: I promise to do the best I can, and I am glad you like it so far. I have so many ideas and plot bunnies (for other fics too), its overwhelming

Last chapter: Astrid had finally been able to explain her side of things, much to her chagrin. The end of the conversation had sadly resulted in more questions than answers.

Chapter 5: Planning to Deceive Them?!

Hiccup had been up for most of the night, plagued by a reoccurring nightmare. It had become all too common for him to be up several hours before dawn, all because a nightmare had woken him up and leaving him sweaty and breathless. He hadn't slept peacefully since his encounter with his father back on Berk. Toothless had tried to help where he could, but there was very little he could do with something like this.

 _He wondered just how much of this was real. It was as if someone was taking a memory and shoving it right in front of him, daring him to deny the truth._

 _He knew what was going to happen, just like he knew that he couldn't do anything about what was going to happen._

 _During the days of the Dragon War, it wasn't that uncommon for an enemy ship to try and pass through undetected. Berk was by no means a peace loving island, even in the best of times and raids were all too common. So as his vision soon changed to a "rescue", Hiccup was glad that this was just a nightmare...probably. As a war torn Berserker ship came into view, ripe for the picking. There was little resistance, seeing as they had very little in the way of crew members left alive after the dragon attack. There was hardly even anything of value on the ship, except for Valka. Maybe the reason Hiccup couldn't see her face was because he just couldn't remember what she looked like, but it felt like things got blurry at that particular moment. He could see her getting on his father's ship, while the scent of blood still lingered in the air._

 _There was something rather disturbing about that particular scene, especially looking at his mother's ship which was "decorated" in the blood of those close to her._

 _The last thing he saw was Stoick's eyes as if they were looking directly at him, and for some reason that really unnerved him._

Toothless looked on as Hiccup had once again sat at his desk and started to plan some new weird scheme. He always got that odd look in his eyes when that happened, so that meant nothing good in the future; Toothless knew that much. Hearing a rattling noise at the door, he figured Astrid was here to drag Hiccup outside like she said she was going to.

"Hiccup!" she yelled, hoping he was just stalling and nothing was wrong. She could tell that he hadn't been sleeping all that well lately by the bags he had been sporting under his eyes. To be fair, she hadn't slept much either. She'd been too worried over what was wrong with Hiccup, but even now she couldn't sleep realizing what was to come. Seeing Toothless come bounding up towards her like a hyper little puppy, she barely managed to avoid getting tackled in all of the excitement. She shook her head in amusement, giving him a small smile. "Alright, Toothless. Where is he?" She had a feeling that she already knew, but she figured that Toothless wanted to show her anyways.

Seeing Hiccup bent over his desk AGAIN and writing what seemed to be a considerably long list of things to do, she didn't know whether to be exasperated at his undoubtedly crazy ideas or thrilled that he seemed to finally be taking some initiative. 'Maybe it was a little of both', she thought as she walked beside a completely oblivious Hiccup. She had to admire his dedication, but she wasn't going to let him just sit inside all day again and get away from her plans. Besides, poor Toothless looked like he was about to explode with energy. Flicking his ear, she smirked as he scrambled to his feet as he was suddenly aware of her presence.

"A-Astrid! What a-are you?" Hiccup started, more than a little alarmed at her sudden appearance. He could hear Toothless laughing behind her, but was more concerned with the fact that Astrid was standing in front of him with her arms crossed. At least she didn't have her axe out...yet. "Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'. Why are you still here, Hiccup? What did I tell you last night?" she said quietly, subtly tapping her axe on the handle. He swore that hadn't been there five seconds ago.

"I...I forgot?"

"Is that a question or an answer?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Well, I-"

"Ugh, nevermind. Let's just go before I'm forced to drag you out like yesterday." she told him, turning around and walking with Toothless out the door.

She wasn't going to repeat yesterday and give him the chance to slip through her fingers again. As she watched him take his time, she "accidentally" bumped her axe on the floor right before she put it on her back. No harm in reminding him that out of sight doesn't necessarily mean out of mind. Luckily he got the hint, because he started speeding up and practically ran out the door. As everyone gathered together for their breakfast and morning patrols, she could tell that Hiccup was getting more and more tense by the minute. She tried not to be frustrated by it, merely because he just wouldn't calm down, but she knew that forcing him was the only way. She'd tie him up and put him in the clubhouse with the others if she thought it would help, but so far it was only increasing his stress levels. She inwardly sighed, doing her best to reassure him almost the entire way there.

"You shouldn't worry so much, Hiccup. Remember that I told you I had talked to them yesterday?" she asked, only moments before they opened the door to the clubhouse. At his nod and obviously nervous look, she continued. "I think I even heard Snotlout yelling at the twins after I left, telling them something about mentioning your name." she laughed.

Hiccup stopped in front of the door, looking somewhere between amused and somewhat...quizzical.

"Okay, what exactly is it that you did?" he asked, halfway sure that he didn't want to know.

"I just...gave them a friendly chat." Astrid replied, looking way too nonchalant about it. Of course, Hiccup wasn't exactly fooled into thinking that was the case, but there was no harm in letting her think otherwise. It was safer for him in the long run.

"Is that so?" he asked, taking a steadying was stupid. It's not like they knew what his secret was, so there was no big deal. That being...said, he opened the door and walked in with Astrid right behind him. Being so early in the morning, it seemed that they were the first ones there. All the more time to sit and-

"Fishlegs!" he heard Astrid shout behind him. She probably scared the poor guy out of his skin, yelling at him like that; she didn't seem mad, though. "You're here pretty early, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess that I am, but I wanted to do some research. I think I found some interesting new things we should put in the Book of Dragons, so I thought that I should take some notes and maybe look at one of the journals."

Hiccup gave Astrid a small smile, watching her squash her urge to roll her eyes at the overflow of information. She knew that Hiccup was interested, which was obviously the only reason she had bothered asking.

"Hiccup, if you're not too busy this morning, I could use your help. I mean, you know this stuff just as well if not better than I do." Fishlegs asked, picking at a loose thread on his tunic. "But just if you...want to."

Astrid gave Hiccup a pointed look when he hesitated. It was one of those do-it-before-I-make-you-regret-it looks she seemed so fond of giving him these days, which kind of scared him honestly.

He looked at Toothless, remembering that they still hadn't gone flying this morning, let alone had breakfast which was conveniently at the table. He hoped it wasn't Astrid's cooking. The last time he bravely tried her cooking, he had food poisoning. Then, there was that gray soup...how does one turn soup gray? So, eating and flying, then helping Fishlegs; that sounded pretty logical, right?

"Yeah, that sounds good. I just need breakfast and to go on our morning flight, then we can get to it. Sound good?"

"Sure, and the breakfast is for you. It's leftovers from something I cooked early this morning. I'll get everything prepared for when you get back." Fishlegs said, wandering off to probably get the Dragon Eye and some journals.

Hiccup sat down to eat and did his best not to show his huge sense of relief at being spared from the disaster that was Astrid's cooking. He knew she tried, maybe a little too hard. It was just very obvious that she was raised to be a warrior and definitely not a cook of any sort. After eating along side Toothless, they went on their usual morning flight. He had to admit that he was pretty glad that Astrid had dragged him outside; he had really missed being in the sky with Toothless like this. The sky was clear and the sun was bright; it seemed like nothing could-

"Hiccup!"

Oh, why in the name of Thor could his mornings never be quiet? He rolled his eyes and watched as even Toothless groaned when Snotlout and the twins appeared behind him. He was sorely tempted to put on a burst of speed and lose them, but he knew that he couldn't avoid them only hoped that he'd have enough patience for the rest of the day after this. As they got closer to him, he got assaulted by three conversations at once.. Not that this was anything new, but he hadn't slept much lately so it was just too overwhelming.

"Hiccup!"

"-sorry!"

Hiccup did his best not to cover his ears as they practically yelled in his ears. He wasn't quite sure who it was, but he thought he hears an apology somewhere in there. It took everything he had not to bang his head on Toothless' saddle in frustration. He knew it wouldn't necessarily help, but it wouldn't hurt either.

"ONE at a time! I can barely concentrate, so just..." he practically yelled, before cutting himself off. There was no reason for him to get all excited over something so insignificant. "Just...one at a time, all right?"

"We're sorry, Hiccup!" Ruff said, apparently speaking for everyone. Hiccup looked at her, confused and yet slightly amused at the same time. He tried not to laugh at the ingenuity of their answer to his request. He had to admit, they did what he said. Although he did also have to admit that he had no idea what he was supposed to be forgiving them for. Figuring that it was nothing too extreme, he just slowly nodded in assent. Sure, he had no idea what he was forgiving, but they didn't betray him or anything so all's well that ends well.

"Anyway, I have some research to do with Fishlegs, so I'll be going now." Hiccup told them as he separated from the group and went towards where he knew Fishlegs was. After he was almost at the clubhouse, Snotlout looked for Astrid in paranoia before addressing the twins.

"You think he has any idea what we were apologizing for or is he just that forgiving?"

The twins looked at each other for a second and then back at Snotlout.

"He's that forgiving."

~Back at the Clubhouse~

"No, I don't think that's the case." Hiccup said, referring to the journal in his hand. "Here, Fishlegs; just look at this paragraph and read until the next page."

"I don't get it, though. Why would you say-"

"Maybe it's just a hunch, but I think that it's a clue. I'd have to look at that journal in my room to be sure, though." Hiccup mumbled, just loud enough that Fishlegs could hear him. "Did the Dragon Eye hold any other clues that we didn't catch?"

"No, I don't think so, but we can have another look. We'd need Hookfang, though." Fishlegs said, with a depressed air. "We can't do anything else with the Dragon Eye without him."

"True, but we can go through a few of these journals without it."

Astrid stood in the corner listening to what was quickly becoming nonsense, as she had next to no interest in things like research. She was glad that Hiccup was enjoying himself again, outside of his hut. Unfortunately, she couldn't rid herself of the feeling of trepidation lurking underneath the surface of things. It was like a shadow, constantly following and constantly waiting. They couldn't avoid talking about these problems forever and they both knew that. She saw him pause in his intense research and make eye contact with her, letting her know that he was thinking the same thing.

~Later that Night~

Astrid watched Hiccup get up after dinner with Toothless following in tow, going for their usual flight at sunset. She was pretty sure that Snotlout was on patrol this time, which meant that they had at least a few hours for this conversation. Taking off after him, she was only somewhat surprised that he landed at the same spot as yesterday. Apparently this was the let's-have-a-discussion spot. As she landed moments after he did and dismounted, she sat down next to where he was. He was plainly in for the long haul.

"Where should we start?" he asked without preamble. Ah, right to the point, then.

"You have a plan on what to do about your...brother and the Dragon Hunters. Don't lie to me, either. I can tell when you have a plan."

"Ahh...yes? It's complex and has a lot of maps involved, probably a few theatrical issues involved in there somewhere..." Hiccup mumbled.

"Hiccup Horrendous." Astrid threatened, standing up and leaning over him. "Tell me right now what you have planned! I'm liking this less and less every minute!"

Hiccup winced at the volume and wanted to do nothing more than curl up into a ball so he could become a smaller target.

"I'm going to team up with Dagur and convince him to let me...spy on the Dragon...Hunters?" he finished with it being more of a question than a plan. He actually had a really good plan that had been well thought out, but telling Astrid about it made it seem so...pathetic.

"YOU'RE GOING TO WHAT?!"

A/N: Yeah, so it's 4:30 in the morning...how does that always happen when I write? o_O Anyway, I guess that means I'll have to stop for now. I'll apologize for this completely pathetic chapter. It seems like such a filler more than anything, really. T_T But at least I've finally gotten to my "Oh wow, this is getting exciting!" point. Haha! I'll try to be more inspired this next chapter, but like I said...so much stuff. Toodles!~


	8. Planning to Deceive Them Pt 2

A/N: So, at this point I have been trying desperately hard not to fall back on my old habits as of late when it comes to my writing; which is more or less when I end up writing several other fics just to avoid my writer's block. Unfortunately, that's how I end up juggling at least three or more stories at once. -.- Ouch. Okeday! So without any further ado or blabbering on my part~

Last Chapter: Hiccup has been having disturbingly realistic nightmares and is getting hardly any sleep. After he finally (albeit with some reluctance) decides to leave his hut once again, he is almost immediately surrounded by Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. After a somewhat disturbing conversation, Hiccup finally meets with Astrid and reluctantly tells her his plan...

 _"I'm going to team up with Dagur and convince him to let me...spy on the Dragon...Hunters?" he finished with it being more of a question than a plan. He actually had a really good plan that had been well thought out, but telling Astrid about it made it seem so...pathetic._

 _"YOU'RE GOING TO WHAT?!"_

Hiccup winced again and glanced over at Toothless help with his predicament. Unfortunately, Toothless had seemed to be anticipating the loud volume and was heading towards Stormfly. Hiccup inwardly rolled his eyes at his friend, wishing he could do the same thing. He wasn't stupid enough to bother even thinking about that particular option. Bringing his thoughts back to the problem at hand, he did his best not to start backpedaling at the sight of her glare. He gulped when he noticed that she didn't fail to bring her axe along for this particular conversation. ' _Great_.'

"Well I, um-" he stuttered, cursing himself for not even being able to defend his own ideas. She crossed her arms, continuing to glare at him. Clearing his throat he tried again with a more determination in his voice. Sure, he was seriously afraid of getting maimed by an axe that he regularly sharpened, but he'd had a decent life. However, she might end up marrying Snotlout if she DID kill him. Taking a deep breath, he tried to hide his laughter at the was pretty sure he was going off the deep end if he was laughing at random thoughts like this.

"Hiccup?" Astrid asked, trying to hide her concern at his silence. Sure, she wanted answers to his ridiculous plan, but he wasn't making any sense. She sighed and looked at him thoroughly. He seemed...off in a way. She knew that all of this had affected him pretty deeply and it was obvious that he hadn't been sleeping as of late. She knew that he wouldn't tell her about it even if she asked every hour on the hour all day. That didn't explain this weird plan, though. Sure, he was known for his...out of the box way of thinking and strategies, but this was toeing the line of insanity. He was looking at her uncertainly, as if he wasn't really sure if he wanted to tell her about it or not.

"My plan is quite...unusual."

' _I knew it. He just can't help himself, can he?'_ Astrid thought to herself as she nodded in silent agreement. She was pretty sure she knew where this one was going.

"I think that you're right about telling everyone about my...family." Hiccup went on, looking at the ground uncertainly. This was a big part of his plan, but he didn't like it regardless. Astrid paled slightly, realizing what this part of his plan would entail.

"Hiccup, are you sure that you want to do this?" she asked, practically whispering. No one was around or even eavesdropping, but for some reason she could barely force the words out of her mouth. "You do know how they would see you if you chose this path?"

"I do, but it's necessary. I was actually kind of hoping for your support on this, but I didn't want to burden you in any way."

Astrid blinked, processing the last part of his sentence as if he was speaking a foreign language before grabbing his collar and yanking him inches from her.

"HICCUP HORRENDOUS HADDOCK III!" she yelled, making him wince at the use of his full name and at the volume. Toothless and Stormfly glanced over at the pair, hardly seeming concerned. They knew Hiccup had done something to receive her wrath and they weren't about to get involved. Besides, it's not like her axe was out and about. "I _know_ that you were just mistaking me for someone else, so I'll let it pass. You say something like that again, and I'm getting my axe!"

Hiccup paled considerably at the implication at struggled out of her hold. With a wicked grin that he was sure meant nothing good, he finally found himself on the ground. Somehow, he barely avoided his head bouncing on the sand as his prosthetic slipped on the sand. Shaking his head, he suddenly found Astrid mere inches above him with an intense glare that promised further violence if he didn't listen. The only possible bit of relief he had was that Stormfly still had her axe. Giving her the most pathetic and almost pouting sort of look, he silently just begged for mercy. If he had to die, he was just hoping for it to be somewhat painless. Astrid rolled her eyes and sat down beside him.

"I hate it when you look at me like that, Hiccup." she muttered, wondering if she should get her axe just in case.

""Yeah, but it's helped me survive so far." Hiccup said softly, smiling a bit.

"You're not avoiding this conversation, so keep going Haddock or I'm getting my axe." she told him, giving him a slight glare.

Hiccup nodded and started drawing in the sand distractedly. Just when Astrid was about to prod him to get started; he muttered to himself, as if he was planning the conversation ahead of time.

"Well, I guess I just didn't want to get involved, but I'll admit it was probably wishful thinking." Hiccup said quietly, as if he was talking two himself. "I know what they'll see and I'm... prepared for that."

"Are you sure about that?" Astrid asked, just as quietly. "How can you possibly be prepared for the possibility of them thinking you're the enemy? How is this going to even work?"

Hiccup sighed and shook his head a bit. He was obviously still working that part out.

"I don't know what I should say, really. How do I tell them something like this? I, uh..."

"What?"

"Well, I hate to ask, but you know how bad I am with things like this and so I was kind of thinking that maybe-"

Astrid sighed, resisting the urge to whack him upside the head.

"You want my help telling them, don't you?" she finished for him, with an uncharacteristically gentle voice. Hiccup nodded, ashamed for needing help in the first place. Upon seeing this, Astrid grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. "Listen to me, okay? Everyone has things they're not particularly good at. So, speeches aren't exactly your thing. To tell you the truth, you've gotten a lot better than you used to be. You just need practice and you'll get even better; just maybe not this particular speech."

Unsurprisingly, Hiccup just stared back at her for a while trying to take it all in. She could tell that he was still processing it all, but they still had things to go over. As much as she wanted to just let him soak it all in, she couldn't. Loathe as she was to admit it, they didn't have the luxury of time on their hands. If Dagur's information was to be believed, then they were running out of time and had to make all sorts of changes and strategies. The one thing that wouldn't leave her alone was the Dragon Eye. Where would it go? Would it stay here at The Edge or go with Hiccup?

"There's something I just thought of, and you're not going to like it." he said, interrupting her thoughts.

' _Hopefully it's nothing worse than what I'm thinking about, but with all of the problems we already have-'_

"After this meeting with everyone, we need to...stage a fight so I'll have a reason to leave. You know how bad my acting is, so-"

"A...fight?" Astrid said, thinking about what he could possibly mean by all of this. "You mean, like an argument over something?"

Hiccup nodded slowly, thinking about what this would mean. He'd be pitting himself against his friends, which was the last thing he ever wanted. There was really no way around this, though and he knew that. If there was, then he would have taken that path without a second thought.

"Don't worry, I have it handled." Hiccup said, with a distant and sorrowful gaze. "All you need to do is handle the speech for me and I'll do the rest."

A/N: Alright, I realize that this one is particularly short, but I'll probably finish it within a day or two. In reality, I just felt guilty about not updating lately so I figured that I should at least give you something, but I'll put pt III of this part really soon. ;)


	9. Planning to Deceive Them Pt 3

A/N: Okay, I seriously apologize for my tardiness on this chapter, but I was kinda lacking in the muse department. I know that I'm just really hoping for this chapter to not end up looking like it's meant to be some filler chapter. o_O *goes to hide under the covers*

Last Chapter: Hiccup reluctantly lets Astrid in on his plan, after initially insisting that he could handle it on his own.

 _"After this meeting with everyone, we need to...stage a fight so I'll have a reason to leave. You know how bad my acting is, so-"_

 _"A...fight?" Astrid said, thinking about what this would mean by this. "You mean, like an argument or something?"_

 _Hiccup nodded slowly, thinking about what this would mean. He'd be pitting himself against his friends, which was the last thing he ever wanted. There was really no way around this, though, and he knew that. If there was, he would have taken that path without a second thought._

 _"Don't worry, I have it handled." Hiccup said, with a distant and sorrowful gaze. "All you need to do is handle the speech for me and I'll do the rest."_

Chapter 7: Planning to Deceive Them Part 3

Astrid watched as Hiccup switched from having a pained look to what seemed like a blank one so quickly that she wasn't sure if it was there in the first place. She opened her mouth a few times to try and offer some advice or maybe wish him good luck, but the words never came. She sighed as she watched him get on Toothless and fly towards his place for some last minute preparations before everyone's last meal together as a group. She wanted to change his mind or maybe even go with him somehow, but she knew that it would never be able to work. It would throw off the entire plan and she knew that. She didn't know all of the details yet, but she knew that if she tried to go with him it would only make it more dangerous for him. It would probably even get someone killed.

Hiccup let out a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He knew Toothless wasn't tired, but this had to be their tenth lap around the Edge. He had stopped counting after five, so he couldn't be sure. He had finished his preparations some time ago, but he wasn't in any particular hurry to face his friends. He didn't want to look at them when he was forced to see the disgust on their faces. In all honesty, he felt like running and not turning back. He felt a vague sense of deja vu, and thought back to when he was still hiding Toothless in the cove. He wanted to run back then, too. Toothless growled quietly as they landed close to his hut, as if saying 'I know what you're thinking about.'

"I know, Bud, but I just can't help it. I don't want to face them and see how disgusted they'll be when they know-" he went on, as he re-checked everything he had packed. He was procrastinating; he knew it and so did Toothless. Said dragon gave his version of a sigh, managing to look somewhat exasperated and yet pitying at the same time. "I'm just worried, you know?"

Astrid watched as the ocean seemed to swallow the sun, trying not to feel worried. She thought that Hiccup would have come back to meet her, but it looked like she was going to be dragging him out of his hut. Again. She knew he would be doing some last minute things that really didn't need to be done, procrastinating so he wouldn't have to deal with things tonight. She couldn't say she blamed him at all, really. She wasn't looking forward to it, either. As much as she wanted to just get it over and done with, Astrid didn't want for things to turn for the worst. She kept on telling herself to wait one more minute, which led to another minute; then she had suddenly wasted an hour. Rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands, she decided that she had waited too long already. The whole group would probably be eating by now, if they hadn't already. It was time to just get this over and done with. She just hoped that this wouldn't be the last time she saw him.

As she arrived at Hiccup's hut, she heard Toothless growl playfully as Hiccup yelped and fell to the floor. Astrid facepalmed, preparing herself for the worst. Hopefully Toothless hadn't taken Hiccup's prosthetic this time; it wouldn't be the first time.

"Hiccup? Toothless? What are you guys doing?" she asked, trying not to sound too tired or frustrated. Toothless heard her and got off of Hiccup, carrying something in his mouth. 'Oh, Thor. Tell me he didn't do that again.'

"Astrid, is that you?" Hiccup called, his voice muffled by a rag that he was using to wipe his face off.

"Yeah. Do I even want to know what started this?" she asked, leaning against the entrance. Looking between the two, she had to bite her lip to contain her laughter. Hiccup was now sitting in his chair, struggling to get dragon spit out of his hair and make it appear somewhat normal. Upon hearing the question, he sighed and looked severely annoyed.

"APPARENTLY, some particular Night Fury thought he should try and improve my looks by giving me a makeover of a sort. Either that, or he thought I was depressed and stressed out; so he decided that-"

"He wanted to play is all!" Astrid finished, no longer able to contain her laughter when she saw Hiccup's poofed up hair. Toothless dropped Hiccup's slobber-covered prosthetic and laughed with her. Hiccup just sighed and pouted, giving up for the moment.

"Gee, what a bunch of good friends you are." he said, rolling his eyes. Astrid sighed and adjusted his hair the best she could, handing him his spare prosthetic from Toothless' saddlebag.

"You should probably rinse this off." she said, rolling her eyes as Toothless laughed. "As much as I want to just stay here, we need to go to the Clubhouse."

Hiccup nodded mutely, heading towards the Clubhouse as if he were attached to lead weights. When they finally got there, he placed his blank expression back on and ate very little of his dinner. He was moving his food around his plate, discreetly giving the rest to Toothless. Astrid, being the most observant of the group, was the only one who noticed. She understood, but that just meant she would make sure he would take food with him. He looked at her and gave a barely noticeable nod of his head, reluctantly telling her to begin her speech. He wanted nothing more than to just go and sit in the corner and read or hide under Toothless' wing. Instead, he just tuned it out and traced patterns on his chair and the table. He knew she had finished by the silence in the room. It was suffocating, and he forced himself to stay where he was and to not bolt back to his hut for phase two of their plan. He prayed silently that they hadn't noticed him struggling to keep calm. He knew they would stare at him like he was some monster, an outsider. He felt like he was suffocating all of the sudden. He looked up to see various stares and expressions on their faces, like he was some stranger or an...outcast. Glancing at Toothless, he took a deep breath and swallowed in an effort to hide oncoming tears. He wouldn't be weak in front of them. He was already some kind of...outcast or something. He gave a signal to Toothless, and looked up at Astrid pathetically. He stood up on weak legs and tried not to stumble as he ran to his hut, blaming his tears on the cold wind.

Astrid left only moments after Hiccup did, feeling like she could finally breathe again. She had seen Hiccup's internal struggle and wanted nothing more than to go and comfort him somehow, but for some reason; she knew that's not what he wanted. As she walked inside his hut not even an hour after the last visit, she felt an overwhelming sense of depression and loss. She spotted Toothless in the corner, trying to comfort his rider that was hiding almost completely underneath his wing. Astrid approached slowly, just in case he got defensive and made herself appear as non-threatening as possible.

"Toothless?" Astrid whispered, looking at him concerned. "Where is he?" Of course, she knew perfectly well where Hiccup was, but it was better to ask permission when dealing with a dragon.

Toothless whined and lifted his wing, making Astrid want to cry herself. She hated when Hiccup looked like this. He looked so...defenseless and heartbroken. She looked up as Toothless whined again, obviously hoping she could help him. She knelt down on her knees and sat there for a few minutes thinking about what to do. She wasn't someone who dealt with feelings all that well. Deciding to just try anyway, she got about a foot away from Hiccup and took a deep breath.

"Hiccup?"

Hiccup jumped back and scooted backwards until Toothless moved him back by force. Astrid's eyes softened as she took in his appearance. His green eyes were shining with unshed tears and red, with bags under his eyes. His hair was back to it's untamed state, matted to his wet cheeks and sticking up at odd angles. She wanted to smooth it down again, but she knew he was like a skittish Terrible Terror right now. If she made the wrong move-

"A-Astrid? W-What are you doing here?" Hiccup asked nervously, wiping his eyes quick enough to probably slice his cheeks with his fingernails a time or two.

"We were supposed to meet, remember?" she reminded him slowly, as if talking to an elder or small child. "We can do this tomorrow if you want, Hiccup. I promise that I will do it no matter what."

Hiccup looked at her, as if he was searching for an answer she had hidden from him. She hadn't moved since she started talking to him and he appreciated that. He glanced at Toothless, who had started to take a nap after Astrid had taken control of things. If he was being truly honest with himself, he'd probably come to the conclusion that he really didn't want to leave tonight at all. He didn't want to argue with Astrid and he didn't want to leave her behind. Suddenly, he felt the tears he had been trying to hide from everyone start to fall once again. The next thing he knew, he found himself apologizing.

Astrid saw Hiccup's breakdown probably before he did, and decided that she had held back long enough. Moving slowly, she got closer to Toothless and hugged him close to her. He stiffened at first, just like she thought he might. She wasn't sure why he started apologizing, but she let him anyway. As his apologies soon became mumbles, he fell asleep in her arms. Toothless woke up and rumbled questioningly at her.

"I think he feels a little better, Toothless, but we might have to wait until tomorrow for the next part of this plan of his. He barely ate and he's just plain exhausted." she told him sadly, running her fingers through his hair. She smiled a bit as he leaned towards her in his sleep. It was getting late, but there was no way she could leave him like this. 'I'm probably staying here tonight.'

A/N: So, as it turns out, there's going to be another part to this arc. oops! I didn't really expect for this particular scene to extend like that. o_o I guess that's what happens when you don't really plan your writing, as opposed to just...typing. I'd add the next part, but it's like, 4 am and my son is going to be getting up nice and early per usual. Morning person I am not. (Which is why all of my chapters are updated at 12-5 am, if you haven't noticed.) I'm going to try my hardest to get this next part done within the next couple of days. Your reviews and PMs keep me going! Thanks!


	10. Planning to Deceive Them Pt 4

A/N: So, I realize that you guys probably feel seriously cheated after I basically promised a conclusion to this particular arc and I just cut it off after one of our main characters had a major emotional meltdown. I'm such a bad person. -_-

Last Chapter: Hiccup and Astrid have carried out part one of Hiccup's master plan, resulting in some emotional issues that strike hard and quick. Astrid and Toothless are fast to react, but are forced to delay the next part of the plan until the next morning. With Hiccup in such an emotional wreck, will he be able to pull this off? How embarrassed will he be when he wakes up in Astrid's embrace?

 _Toothless woke up and rumbled questioningly at her._

 _"I think he feels a little better, Toothless, but we might have to wait until tomorrow for the next part of this plan of his. He barely ate and he's plain exhausted." she told him sadly, running her fingers through his hair. She smiled a bit as he leaned towards her in his sleep. It was getting late, but there was no way she could leave him like this. 'I'm probably staying here tonight.'_

Chapter 8: Planning to Deceive Them Pt 4

Ironically, the first thing Hiccup noticed when he woke up wasn't where he was sleeping or who he was with, but the fact that the sun had risen and he was just now getting up. Hearing Toothless purr behind him alerted him to his surroundings a bit, making him gasp as he saw Astrid right next to him still asleep. It was weird for her to sleep longer than him, but it looked like she had bags under her eyes as if she had stayed up almost all night. Hiccup sighed, trying to think back to last night's events before reaching the conclusion that he had been really stupid to let her see him like that. He hadn't really been so pathetic as to cry on a girl that he had liked for as long as he could remember, right? Hearing Astrid start to wake up, he panicked and looked for some escape.

Astrid woke up a little bit disorientated before remembering that she hadn't left Hiccup's hut and turned to see Hiccup frozen in place, looking frantically around for some escape. Apparently he remembered last night just now and was very against talking about it. She knew that he'd be pretty fidgety when he woke up. It was only because he exhausted himself that he even fell asleep the night before, but she didn't want him to leave when things were like this. It just felt...wrong.

"Hiccup, we need to talk and then if you still want to do things, we can-" Astrid started, right before he stood up. He looked at her and seemed contemplative, almost to the point of her thinking he hadn't quite heard her. She went to repeat herself again when he raised his finger, as if he knew what she was planning.

"There's nothing to talk about, right?" he asked, looking more sorrowful than she had ever seen him look before. Even on his worst of days, he didn't look this bad. "I remember how they looked at me, like I was some stranger that they'd never met before and not someone who they've known for practically their entire lives."

"They'll adjust, Hiccup, just like I did. Think about it, I had to take a few minutes to grasp exactly what you told me and I'm sure that they were up almost all night talking about it."

Hiccup couldn't sit still anymore and got up, starting to pace back and forth in a small pattern on the floor. Astrid watched him and was starting to get dizzy at the fast movements. She sighed and got up to pull him over to his chair at the desk, if only to stop his nonstop pacing.

"You're different, Astrid!" he blurted out, covering his mouth immediately afterwards and turning red. "I-I mean that's-" he stuttered before facepalming and muttering something about him being stupid. At this point she probably thought he was saying she was weird or something equally awful. This day was just bound to get worse at this rate, wasn't it?

"Hiccup, I don't want things to end on such a-"

"End?!" Hiccup practically yelled, causing her to jump a little in surprise. "This isn't the end of things, for anyone. If they change their minds, I'll even come back to the Edge."

Astrid stared at him for a few minutes and then looked out the window, before things started to click. Apparently she hadn't slept enough, because when she looked back at Hiccup all she saw was his triumphant expression. Before she could say anything too significant, he merely nodded and gave her that horrifically sad smile like yesterday. It was a smile that held the pain of friends becoming possible enemies and a smile of regret. She knew that smile too well and she didn't ever want to see it again, but what could she do? Make him laugh, even if only for a short while? Help him ignore the pain like she had always done in the hopes that one day he just won't feel it anymore?

"What's your plan, then?" she asked, sighing resignedly. No matter what she did right now, there would be no changing his mind. He would be going and she would be staying, trying to be the glue that holds things together. It would be utter chaos and she knew that.

"We will keep our fight louder than our planning. I will explain what I have planned, and you can ask me details. Just...play along." he semi-whispered.

"So, you're just going to leave me here to deal with all of...this?! I'm just trying to help!" she yelled, giving him a 'so, how's that?' look. In return, he gave her his best false grin and a shaky thumbs up, trying to hide his pain. He knew the words didn't mean anything and that all of this was just an act, but it didn't make it hurt any less. "Do you have a list or something written down?" she added, whispering.

"Yeah, but it looks more complicated than it really is. I'll give it to you in a...sec." he answered before yelling: "What reason do I have to stay? They certainly don't want me to."

Hiccup beckoned her towards his desk so he could explain as they continued arguing randomly. He showed her a map he had made that marked specific spots on the island, which confused her at first. He told her to watch out for his signs and letters, missions, etc, all while managing to keep up what was now a pathetic excuse for an argument. At first, it was somewhat hurtful and such, but now they were just making funny gestures while they argued; all the while, they were trying not to laugh at some low points of the argument. Seeing how all the details seemed to be in working order, Hiccup saw no more reason to stay and Astrid could find no more reasons to keep him, try as she might. Looking each other in the eye, they both tried to keep strong for the other. Toothless laid by the door, whining sadly at the scene. He didn't want to leave Astrid and Stormfly here, but he knew that it had to be done for some reason. It was to keep everyone safe, is what Hiccup had told him.

"I put some extra food in Toothless' bags for you, because you didn't eat last night." Astrid told him, seriously. As Hiccup opened his mouth to object or argue the point, she glared at him. "Don't think I didn't see you oh-so-subtly scraping your food onto the floor for Toothless. I don't blame you, considering, but Toothless is going to make sure you eat or I'll have him take both of your prosthetics until you do." She laughed as Hiccup paled slightly at the image of his prosthetics consistently smelling like fish.

"I'm glad you're amused, Astrid." he replied sarcastically, looking between her and Toothless. He saw Toothless laugh and gave him a 'you better not even think about trying it' look, which got casually brushed off as usual. "Look, A-Astrid. I've been wanting to maybe think about-" Hiccup tried, before he was yanked forward quickly. As he tripped clumsily, he yelped and almost fell on Astrid completely. True to form, Astrid gripped his collar and kissed him. Unlike most times, Hiccup decided to be brave and kiss back after the fact. They stared at each other afterwards, as if shock. Hiccup turned around and checked his room for anything out of place, feeling like his face was on fire. "I'll just be..going now."

As Hiccup walked outside with Toothless and made some last minute adjustments before taking off, Astrid finally snapped out of her reverie. She had no idea what exactly happened, but she was perfectly fine with that. She ran out the door entrance, hoping to catch Hiccup in time, as she forgot to give him his goodbye present.

"Hiccup! Hold on for a minute!" she yelled, wincing at both the volume and the fact that she might've just blown her cover. She looked around, hoping no one was looking and pointed towards their usual spot. When they both got there, she let out a deep breath and gave him a folded piece of paper. He looked at it curiously, but said nothing. "I just want to wish you good luck, because the next time we see each other-"

"We might not be on the same side, so to speak." Hiccup finished, with a sad excuse of a smile. They were both going to be on the same side, but it sure wasn't going to feel like it. "I'll be seeing you, Astrid."

"Make sure you read that!" she yelled, torn between falling to her knees in tears or throwing her axe in anger. She was leading towards anger at the moment. Anger at herself for not protecting him better and anger at him for throwing himself in the middle of this and getting himself hurt in the process.

A/N: What's in that note? Ah ha! Well, I'm FINALLY done with that particular arc. THANK YOU! Yeah, I want to say thanks for sticking by me, because I know my erratic updates have been...meh. o_o I think I'm getting a bit burnt out with this fic and need to write at least a one-shot or a few poems. I've been putting it off and telling myself not to do it, but I find myself not being able to concentrate if I don't do it every once in a while. Soooo...I might be putting up a few. Obviously not tonight, because it's 2:30 am again. I'm thinking Tsubasa Resovoir Chronicles, Merlin, HTTYD or a NCIS/Criminal Minds crossover. Oh, the possibilities...


	11. The Letter

A/N: Yeah, I know it's been a good while. In all honesty, i HAD written a one shot, but it got erased -_-' Yeah, lucky me. Anywho, we're onto the next arc, which is going to get really fantastic if I can actually manage that. Hopefully I won't let people down, right?

Last time: Hiccup and Toothless left everyone at the Edge after not only a over dramatized argument between Hiccup and Astrid, but also a reveal of his relation with Dagur...

Chapter 9: The Letter

Hiccup was depressed. He knew that he should feel some of the weight that had been weighing him down so much lately begin to let up, but he only seemed to feel it now more than ever. He knew that Dagur had decided to stay in the same general vicinity that he initially was, but Hiccup didn't exactly want to be with anyone else yet. He had more or less come to terms with the whole 'Dagur is my brother' thing, but that didn't mean that he wasn't still slightly unsettled by it. He also wasn't blind to the questioning looks he'd been given or even the way a few of them had outright avoided looking at him. Maybe it was his friends' reactions that was making him so depressed or perhaps it was his own cowardice. He could've faced them and dealt with it, but instead he chose to run away and hide. Now he probably would only be their enemy from now on, but that's how it had to be for all of this to work.

Toothless looked at Hiccup and bumped him in the head to try and cheer him up. He had noticed how sad he had been since before they left, but it was even worse ever since they were forced to leave Astrid behind. Of course, Hiccup hadn't read her letter yet. Picking it up in his mouth carefully, he put it right in front of Hiccup and looked at him expectantly.

Hiccup sighed and looked at Toothless. He really wasn't in the mood for whatever games the dragon probably had in mind, but he acquiesced nonetheless.

"What is that Toothless?" he asked, taking the letter carefully. "Isn't this the letter that Astrid gave me right before we left? I almost forgot about it, I guess. Should we read it?" As Toothless settled behind him, he looked at the letter before unfolding it.

 _Dear Hiccup,_

 _Knowing you, you probably all but forgot about this letter not even five minutes after I gave it to you until Toothless gave it to you._

"I'm not THAT bad, am I bud? I mean, it's possible; she could at least try to sound a little less insulting, though." Hiccup muttered, before continuing at Toothless' urging. "Alright! Quit your pouting already."

 _I know that you're feeling depressed and weighed down about all of the things that have happened recently, and I wish I could have helped more than I currently am. Though I am writing this the night before your departure, I know my feelings about your leaving will not change. I am angry that I cannot help you more and frustrated that I couldn't protect you from what I know you are thinking are not a coward, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III! Don't look so surprised, you idiot. I could tell by the look in your eyes that you weren't sure about what to think after you told them. I know that you wanted to tell them some things and argue, but you know that wouldn't have helped anything. Don't feel sad about how they reacted. I know that I reacted differently, but everyone is different and you should know that better than anyone. If you ever feel sad or doubt yourself, make sure you have this letter hidden somewhere so you can read it. You should probably let Toothless keep it since you'll probably lose it. Keep safe._

 _Astrid_

Hiccup took a deep breath and folded the letter back up, hiding it in one of the bags that Astrid packed for him. They were about ready to take back off after such a long break, but they probably needed to eat first. Digging out all of the fish for Toothless, he settled for what Astrid had packed him. Luckily, it was not something she had made herself. He had given her several chances over the past couple of years and each time there seemed to be some type of disaster. Last time was some mystery...thing and then she asked him if he wanted to try this new drink she made. He only vaguely remembered going pale and passing out in her hut, but he was pretty sure he had lost a few days of the week on that particular adventure. Ah, the memories of things he'd rather never again experience. Ever.

"Well, Toothless?" Hiccup looked at him and rolled his eyes. "Toothless! Stop with the sunbathing and let's get going already. We should get going."

As they took off, Hiccup looked across the distance to try and spot the ship he was looking for. He wasn't off course in the slightest, and he didn't think that Dagur would just leave.

"I don't get it, bud." he said, sounding exasperated. "I thought he'd be around here, and I'm almost positive we're going the right direction." Toothless slapped him to get his attention, but Hiccup went on talking. "I hope this doesn't mean I have to try and find these-" he stopped as Toothless slapped him again. "What is it, bud? Do you see his...ship?"

Hiccup's jaw dropped as he was slightly shocked into silence. He saw a familiar crest in the far distance, but it was not the one he was looking for.

Berk.

A/N: Not the twist you were expecting, huh? Don't worry. I wasn't expecting it, either. XD Like I keep saying, I basically write these as they come to me. I used to write them down, but I just don't bother anymore. Meh. At the end, I was like...dragon hunters or berk? XD Bwah ha ha!


	12. Struggles at the Edge

A/N: Okay, so I'll admit that it's been way too long since I last updated. It doesn't help that I have this serious itch to start at least two or more other fics, one of which will undoubtedly be a multi-chapter one. I've more or less behaved myself, right? Sorta. -_-'

Last chapter: So, Hiccup is obviously missing Astrid and regretting his choice to leave her behind, as much as he knows that it had to be done. Toothless remembers the letter that she wrote for him that he forgot to read. As they take off again, they spot Berk's ships in the distance heading for the Edge.

Chapter 12: Struggles at The Edge

Hiccup stared in shock for a moment before Toothless smacked him and looked at him questioningly. Truth be told, he was wondering what was going on, but if it was too serious Astrid would tell him. If he had to guess, Gobber had talked some semblance of reasoning into Stoick and had for some reason decided to come. Why there were as many ships as there were was anyone's guess. He sighed, guiding Toothless towards the clouds to give them better cover. For a moment, he had thought about flying down there and demanding to know what their intentions were, but it was Astrid's problem now. He inwardly cringed at the thought, thinking about how that particular meeting would go. She was probably mad at the Chief, for even putting him in such an awkward position in the first place. He was still trying to erase that look of utter betrayal he initially saw in her eyes.

The more Hiccup thought about it, the more he wanted to laugh at what he figured might happen. He wasn't sure what the twins might actually do, but Astrid's reaction might somehow involve an axe. Snotlout was something else entirely, he supposed. While he knew that his cousin had more or less grown past the initial animosity that had accumpliated in their younger years, there was still an obvious competition between them that remained. He wasn't entirely sure that he cared, but he was sure that if he decided to leave Berk forever Snotlout would take over what was to be his duties. He wasn't sure the residents deserved that, especially the dragons. Fishlegs' reaction to Stoick would probably be as it always was, that much seemed to never change it seemed. Someone of a higher rank and the occasional dragon scared him to the point of being speechless. While it was true that he had seen what he called his Berserker Mode, that was few and far in between.

"Well, I guess that's none of our business, right Bud?" he asked halfheartedly. He didn't like leaving them to deal with his father, especially when he was on a possible rampage. He knew just how much fun that could be and how to deal with it. With the exception of Astrid and maybe Fishlegs, the dragon riders would probably be making things worse before making them better. "We have work to do, so let's get moving."

Toothless looked back at him and growled. He obviously didn't want to leave the riders or his friends anymore than Hiccup did, but he knew it was necessary. He crooned sadly and flew faster than before, away from the Edge. Hiccup patted his head as a companion in his sadness and solitude.

"I know, Bud. I know." he said hollowly, trying not to think about it as he resolutely made himself look anywhere but the Edge and the approaching ships.

-This is a page break because I don't know how XD-

As the ships approached the Edge, Astrid forced herself to calm down as she felt her grip on her axe tighten. She knew without a doubt why they were here and they couldn't have come at a worse time. She was flying on Stormfly on the Southwest corner of the island on the morning patrol when she had initially spotted them. At first, she couldn't figure out why Stoick or even Gobber would bother coming way out here when it was so far from Berk. It was definitely less than pleasant on dragon back, so she could only imagine what it was like on a ship. She smirked momentarily, wondering how Hiccup could even manage something like that. She hoped that he was doing okay and that he had actually remembered to read the letter she wrote. She knew that things like that usually just slipped his mind somehow. Stormfly sqawked beneath her, grabbing her attention. She cursed her lapse in concentration and counted herself lucky that they had hidden themselves so well. Looking at what had grabbed Stormfly's attention, she cursed. She wasn't sure, so she searched for that device that Hiccup always used in such instances. She couldn't remember what it was called, but it was useful nonetheless. Bringing it up to her eye, she cursed again. She was right.

They went all out on this one, and the rest of the riders needed to at least know about it. Who knows how they'd react to this? Ever since what they'd simply labeled "The Incident", it had been relatively...subdued and almost outright depressing. She had expected this outcome from the start, but she had decided not to mention it to Hiccup. He didn't need any extra problems on top of what he already had, and he had barely been able to make the hard decision in the first place. If he had known of this possible outcome, he probably wouldn't have been able to do it. She knew how much he was probably already suffering as it was, thinking about the looks everyone had given him. They were just scared of what it could mean, and now they were even more so. They were all hoping that they hadn't pushed him into Dagur's arms, which was true in a sense. They were playing a very dangerous game and Hiccup knew it.

She had tried threatening them to get out of their funk, but she really couldn't blame them for feeling the way they did. Part of her was struggling to put them out of their misery and tell them everything that was going on, but the other more sensible part told her how totally stupid of a plan that was. It sounded a lot like Hiccup at times, ironically. Trying to take over as the leader had been a horrible and gigantic task already. Some days she didn't sleep at all and others, she just couldn't out of fear for Hiccup. She tended to sleep better at Hiccup's place than hers, but for some reason or another she had decided that no one else could know about it. She was always up and at the clubhouse or training before anyone else, making sure she left no sign of having even touched his hut at all. She shook her head, rubbing a hand down her face in frustration. She needed to get everyone to the clubhouse so they wouldn't be caught off guard by everyone from Berk. She hopped off of Stormfly and took off full speed, yelling over her shoulder.

"Get Snotlout and bring him to the clubhouse as fast as you can! I need to get everyone else!"

Running off to get Fishlegs first, (as she knew he'd see reason more than anyone else), she ran up to the door and banged on it repeatedly until he answered.

"Fishlegs! There's an emergency! Get the clubhouse now!" she yelled without preamble. Fishlegs opened the door and looked at her with panic in his eyes, a long list of questions in the near future. She growled in impatience and yanked him out the door. "We still need to get the twins; I'll explain everything once everyone is at the clubhouse."

Once everyone had arrived in more or less one piece. It was obvious that no one wanted to be here and that they'd rather just go and suffer in solitude, but Astrid was having none of that. Once everyone was as settled as they'd ever be, she decided to break it to them as best as she could.

"I was going to try and give everyone some warning, just so you're not caught off guard. I know that we're all still dealing with...The Incident and all, but this is important." She noticed how everyone shifted uncomfortably and looked at either the floor or the ceiling of the clubhouse. This was going to probably make things worse for them. Maybe. "While Stormfly and I were on patrol, we saw Berk ships on the horizon. They'll be here pretty soon. You should prepare yourselves; some of us more than others."

The twins looked at each other, obliviously and scratched their heads. Astrid wasn't too concerned about them trying to understand that particular path of conversation. Fishlegs looked at her, gaping in shock of the new turn of events. They both turned and looked at Snotlout, pretty sure he missed out on the implications. Turns out they were right. Snotlout glared at them openly, which was nothing new these days. While his hostile and bossy nature had all but faded away, undoubtedly due to Hiccup's influence; with him now gone, it was starting to make an appearance every now and then.

"What? I don't care if they come here. It's probably just Gobber anyway." he said, waving the problem aside without a care. Astrid and Fishlegs sighed collectively, wondering if they should even be bothering with this.

"I didn't want to say this, but if Hiccup decides to never go back that means Stoick will disown him. I don't think that's why he's here, but-" Astrid said, trying her best to explain it as simply as possible.

As much as she hoped that Hiccup solved all of these problems, she couldn't help but wonder where that would leave their tribe as a whole. Knowing him, he was probably laughing at the irony. He might come back to Berk after things are settled, maybe even after Stoick's death. Then again, why would he want to? To save them from being under Snotlout's rule? He definitely didn't owe them anything, especially considering how he had been treated in his earlier years. He should despise them, and he really had every right to. But Hiccup was probably the kindest and most forgiving soul she had ever met. She wasn't sure that he's forgive his father for his transgressions, though.

Snotlout looked at her blankly, like he wasn't sure how he should feel about it. By all rights Hiccup was the one that always led everyone and he was the one that just begrudgingly followed. Now that he was going to possibly be forced into that sort of position, he seemed sort of conflicted about the whole thing. It was true that he'd always been jealous of his cousin and everything that he'd managed to do. But that didn't mean that he wanted to take over, right? People could starve and even die if he made the wrong decision. Astrid and Fishlegs looked at each other in confusion and then back at Snotlout, who marched out of the clubhouse with that same blank look on his face.

A/N: Alright, I'm going to end it here and do this one in two parts where Stoick and Gobber finally get to the Edge, including the reaction of Snotlout. O_O I might even go on to where Toothless and Hiccup are at that point. Meh...I don't know. TBC!


	13. Arrival

A/N: I know that it's probably been...months o_O since I've last updated ANY of my stories, which is extremely unlike me, but I seriously couldn't come up with anything. I had all these plot ideas, but no idea how to make them work...so sad. T_T I've been listening to the How to Train Your Dragon books, which are drastically different from the movies. I can kinda understand how some critics like to (for lack of a better term) "nitpick" at the details. Of course, listening to David Tennant and his flair for dramatics is just awesome.

Last chapter: Hiccup has left the Edge behind, only to discover that the Berkian fleet was on it's way. Everyone on the Edge has realized the fleet will be arriving and are left wondering how to deal with it.

Chapter 13: Arrival

For the first time in a while, Astrid was at a loss of what to do. As she watched the chief talk to everyone individually, she couldn't help but be a little nervous and more than a little agitated at the situation. Usually she had Hiccup to talk with, him being the only voice of reason and one who could look at things objectively. With him gone, there were noticeable changes, even if some were more difficult to notice than others. If she were being honest with herself, she'd admit that she missed the way that things used to be. With Hiccup gone, it seemed like all the life had just been Whatever the reason, she wasn't about to give him that luxury. After a few nights with Stormfly guarding, there was little he could do. She had hidden all their plans and his inventions as a precaution, making the place look practically spartan. In the end, it looked like he had never really been here at all.

There was an awkward sort of silence on Stoick's last day on the Edge, which was inevitable in all reality. There were few secrets left after he had arrived as he had all but interrogated each of them individually. Gobber had more or less stayed on board one of the ships, more than likely not wishing to be a part of the entire affair. It was unclear as to whether or not he actually knew anything about this from the beginning, but he didn't seem to appreciate the situation nevertheless. As Stoick prepared to leave, things seemed more tense than ever. Astrid leaned against Stormfly on the docks and watched the proceedings with a seemingly casual interest. She sharpened her axe and looked at it with feigned interest, which was usually a sign of her being in an edgy and irritated sort of mood. As a "de facto" leader, as Hiccup and Fishlegs had called it, she had made sure to keep a careful eye on everyone. The drastic changes were surprising for some and expected in other cases.

Fishlegs hadn't really bothered getting involved in anything lately, keeping mostly to himself. She had noticed how he had started keeping more to himself than ever, only talking when necessary. It wasn't all that surprising, really. Hiccup and Fishlegs were quite close and he was probably feeling guilty about reacting the way he did to the shocking news about Hiccup's true origins. The twins were...abnormally subdued, withdrawn and quiet since Stoick had started questioning everyone about all sorts of things. She was quite impressed about how well they had handled themselves and had told them as much, which was only met with a small nod in return. Stoick had seemed mostly concerned as to Hiccups current whereabouts, but they had mostly agreed that it wasn't what he was truly after. Snotlout was more or less just outright moody these days. It was like he couldn't decide whether to be angry at Hiccup's decision or happy that he had finally gotten his chance.

How much more of this could they really take? Well, it was only probably going to get worse once they discovered that Hiccup was on Dagur's side...sort of.

***************************Toothless*and*Hiccup*are*awesome*************************************

It had been almost a week now and the supplies that Astrid had stuffed in Toothless' saddlebags were all but gone now. Hiccup sighed and made an effort not to groan in frustration. He knew that Dagur had probably headed further out, having seen the Berkian fleet, which was a good idea. He had been flying in the opposite direction of the fleet in hopes that he would find Dagur. Had the fleet not shown up, he would have found him by now. Thinking about that fact made him let loose the groan of frustration he had previously withheld. He really wasn't sure that he'd actually mentally prepared himself for this situation. He hadn't quite wrapped his head around the fact that he had a brother at all, let alone that it was _Dagur the Deranged._ As much as he'd like to think that the situation couldn't get much worse, he knew for a fact that they would. He knew how hard it was going to be, and half of him wished that he could just erase the look on his friends' faces as he told them the truth. And if Stoick had gone there as well and probably intentionally stirred up trouble; well, _that_ just complicated things.

Toothless brought Hiccup out of his thoughts with a grumble, which made Hiccup start a bit.

"What is it, Bud?" Hiccup asked, looking around. "Do you see...something?" Oh. He wondered how he hadn't noticed a fleet of ships coming in his general direction. Were they coming towards him on purpose? Looking at the sails, he saw the crest he'd been searching for...ironically. "Never thought I'd be happy to see him."

Toothless gave a low growl, which sounded suspiciously like a laugh to Hiccup. Oh, well. It _was_ kinda funny. Hiccup waved to Dagur as he came into view, as to avoid getting shot. Toothless landed on the deck of the ship, watching everyone in suspicion. Even if Dagur was his brother, this was still a mission and they needed to be careful.

TBC...Finally, Hiccup arrives! I'm totally sorry about the delay and I'm going to try and update either later today or tomorrow...hopefully.


	14. Ryker

A/N: I promise you that I have totally been working on this chapter for a little while; I just haven't written the final draft out. I have an entire outline for this particular chapter on a separate tab as of right now, which is going to make things fun. -_-' Well, let's just get things started, shall we? Oh, and if anyone has any ideas as to how one submits stories to a community, I'm all ears.

On a side note: Dagur is probably more than slightly OOC in this chapter (if not from here on out), but keep in mind that he is trying to pacify Hiccup and is most likely going to change his mind about how he sees dragons in general. It's AU; I'd think that you'd expect that, right?

Last chapter: Astrid deals with Stoick's bothersome presence at the Edge, as he interrogates the riders for information in regards to Hiccup. Hiccup on the other hand, has finally reached the end of his journey just as he was running out of supplies.

Chapter 14: Ryker

Dagur had noticed how tired Hiccup looked, which wasn't all that surprising really. He had been forced to move a considerable distance away from the island before he even got there, as one of the men had spotted the Berkian fleet in the distance. He normally wouldn't have bothered, but he didn't want to deal with Stoick the Vast watching Hiccup as they went. As it was, he was sure that Stoick was probably trying to get information on their whereabouts. It might have been slightly out of concern, but mostly he undoubtedly wanted to see where Hiccup's true loyalties lie. In all honesty, it was a dangerous game to play. While he loved fighting as much as anyone, he wasn't sure if he wanted a war on top of this game he'd been playing with the dragon hunters as of late. Once Hiccup had rested, he would try and break the news to him as gently as he could.

Hearing what could only be described as a gentle rap on his door, Hiccup more or less dragged himself to go see who was so determined to wake him up. Opening the door, he forced himself not to flinch at the sudden appearance of one of his brother's soldiers. This was going to take some getting used to. He knew that his first reaction was to get his shield and fire a bola or grab a sword, but he'd just have to get used to it, he supposed. Trapped in his thoughts _again_ , he realized he was being asked a question or something like that. At the expectant look from the soldier, he figured it had something to do with his brother. He sighed inwardly, realizing he had no choice but to tell the man he was spacing out. He could already hear Toothless laughing at him.

"Sorry, I kind of spaced out for a second there. It's probably just because I just woke up." Hiccup admitted, trying to look as sheepish as possible. Glancing at Toothless, he saw that he was indeed laughing at him. 'Useless reptile.' he thought, scowling in his direction.

"I can tell him that you aren't feeling up to eating, sir." the soldier said, with his back ram rod straight.

Hiccup had to admit that he was a little confused for a minute, but that was probably because of him being half awake. The whole being called sir was a little uncomfortable to say the least. He supposed that he was still practically royalty in their eyes, former Berkian or not. He wasn't even sure if Stoick had disowned him or not, but he was pretty sure he didn't care that much, either. He had a lot on his mind these days, but he could only take it only take one problem at a time.

"No, it's okay; I'll be there in a minute." he said, albeit quite reluctantly. Hiccup was tired and just wanted to sleep for the rest of their journey to wherever they were going. Hopefully they had enough sense to steer clear of Berk. Even if Stoick had left after them, he would have probably given orders to keep an eye out for their ships and even Toothless.

As he sat down to eat across from Dagur, he let Toothless have some scraps every now and then. They didn't have a lot of fish for some reason, so they'd have to do that in the near future. As Hiccup had let Toothless have the rest of his leftovers, he noticed that Dagur had seemed somewhat...pensive during the entire meal. He wasn't sure why, but it really bothered him. He didn't seem to be scheming or planning anything, only deep in thought. Maybe it was hereditary.

"Dagur, what are you thinking about? You seem to be otherwise occupied almost the entire time I've been here. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were maybe...hiding something?" Hiccup was pretty sure that if he pretended to know something about it that he could get more information, but those tactics only worked on ignorant people. "Maybe it's because of me being here that you can't say it?" Hiccup watched as Dagur barely flinched, giving away more than he wanted to. Other people might buy it, but Hiccup had spent a good chunk of his life with the twins and Snotlout. "What aren't you telling me?"

"It's something you don't want to hear, so I haven't told you. I know that I should, but you won't like it." Dagur mumbled, before taking a drink and slamming it down in frustration. He knew that Hiccup wanted the information, but he'd be very angry once he found out.

Hiccup felt chills all the way down his spine, feeling like he really didn't want to know. What if Dagur was right? What if it had to deal with Stoick? What if it was the dragon hunters? Was it something that could be putting his...friends in danger?

"Does this have anything to do with the, uh, Dragon Hunters?" Hiccup asked, feeling an overwhelming sense of dread. He was sure it did, but he really wanted it to be about something else. Then again, having news about their whereabouts could be a good thing.

"It does." Dagur looked at him straight in the eyes, reigniting that surge of chills down his spine. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know after all, but he somehow found himself nodding regardless. "It seems that the Dragon Hunters are not as elusive as they once were or they're simply getting more bold. Whichever it is, things are not looking good as far as the local dragons go. They are captured and sold to the highest bidder, if they're lucky." Seeing the barely controlled anger on his brother's face, he sighed. He knew that he shouldn't have said anything, but Hiccup had insisted anyways.

"How long have you been tracking them?" Hiccup asked, barely controlling his emotions. Toothless sensed it and growled at Dagur, before Hiccup noticed and forced himself to calm down for the good of everyone involved. "You can't have just found them by chance."

Dagur had to admit that sometimes he really was kind of annoyed by his brother's abilities to make such connections like that. He wasn't all that surprised, but he had sort of hoped for a little while longer before he was forced into talking about this.

"I had basically run into them before devastating winter of last year as I had been passing the northern side of Frigg. I didn't have anything that they wanted, but they were determined to board "just in case", they said. I didn't like the insinuation and I also really don't like that Ryker guy. I've been keeping tabs on them, but I'm barely scratching the surface it seems."

Hiccup had to admit that he was quite shocked, although he couldn't quite get a grasp on Dagur's motives for following the hunter's movements. Was it some weird type of revenge or just something new to focus on? Was he trying to change or maybe just pacify him? Either way, Hiccup supposed this was as good a time as any to use this to his advantage. Admittedly, he wasn't really a fan of using people for his own agenda, but this was an emergency. How far was he really willing to go for people who may or may not even be his friends...for dragons? Would he use people like chess pieces, moving them like inanimate objects and forget what it was like to care about his people?

Hiccup nodded and tried to make sense of things as quickly as they came along. He needed to at least figure out their current whereabouts.

"Where are we currently going? I wasn't even paying attention to the direction, as sad as that is."

"That's not like you." Dagur said, shaking his head in slight amusement. "We're currently north of Fireworm Island, heading northwest. We have a stop or two before our final destination."

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but what are our destinations?" Hiccup asked, eyeing his brother warily. Something told him it was another round of bad news.

Dagur went to a map and pointed out their course, which was enough to grab Hiccup's curiosity.

"We were going to stop by Breakneck Bog, but that didn't work out for some reason or another. Given our current weather conditions and lack of interruptions, I'd say we'll get to this island here by no later than a few days or less. After that, we're headed towards Dragon Island. How's that sound?"

Hiccup paled considerably as he recognized the first island, which Dagur didn't fail to notice. Before he could ask, however, Hiccup answered.

"Uhh, we can't...we shouldn't go there. Tha-that's Melody Island, Dagur. I am _so_ not going back there." Hiccup said vehemently.

Dagur looked confused, which wasn't all that surprising to be honest. Even if he had bothered to go there at some point, the only problem he would probably have had is those two Thunderdrums. Well, Hiccup supposed that that was just a best case scenario, considering that he had no idea whether or not the Death Song was still in that cave. Either way, he was in no hurry to go back there. Hiccup sighed, not particularly wanting to relive the experience, in whatever form it happened to be.

"Well, there's a dragon there that we call the Death Song, for a really good reason mind you." Hiccup said, remembering the rock-hard substance that was all but impossible to get out off. Granted, things turned out okay eventually, but he would rather never go back if at all possible. "It traps other dragons in this rock-hard substance and then eats them. We saw piles of dragon bones and we almost got eaten ourselves. If you still insist on going, I'll meet you at the next island and hope you make it out alive."

Dagur looked at Toothless and back at Hiccup, considering how much of this could actually be true. Hiccup had never actually lied as far as he-Well, there was the whole dragon riding incident and all of that. But that was in the past and they were older now. Dagur was choosing to move on and he hoped that Hiccup could, too. Looking back at the map, he growled in frustration at the current situation. They were more or less in the middle of the ocean, and could still change their course without too much of a loss.

"Our final destination is Dragon Island, and we're close enough to this island here, which is...Breakneck Bog. Not the best choice, but definitely not the worst if we need to suddenly make for land. So, we go past Breakneck Bog and Odin's Respite, all while steering clear of Berk."

"So, that was the main objective all along, avoiding Berk and the fleet?" Hiccup said, as he thought about the route they were taking. It wasn't really crossing any particularly dangerous territory and they were going farther and farther away from the Edge. If all went well, they shouldn't see anyone at all. The Berkian fleet had no business being on that side of the island, so it looked like a good enough plan. "The route should be clear of basically any type of ships, but I'm sure you were thinking that already."

"You always did manage to stay one step ahead of me, somehow." Dagur said, sounding a little amused. "Yes, I think we'll avoid the most ships this way. There's no point in trying to gain more attention than necessary. Also, I had heard that the hunters were headed that way and I wanted to see if we could get there around the same time."

Hiccup did his best to keep his facial expression as neutral as possible, trying not to give anything away. He couldn't figure out what Dagur could possibly gain from all of this.

'Was he trying to spy on the hunters or maybe convince them to…? He couldn't possibly be trying to join them?!'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXItsXaXtimeXskipXcauseXI'mXlazyXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It wasn't as though Hiccup wasn't skeptical of his brother's plan. If anything, it had kept him up for what was probably a few weeks now. Toothless didn't appreciate being cooped up on the ship all of the time, so they still went on their usual flights in the morning and at night. To tell the truth, the days _had_ gotten quite repetitive. Dagur had told him that he shouldn't be gone for longer than necessary, as they had been dangerously close to Berk for a while now. It wasn't as if he wanted to be seen by any of the Berkians, least of all Stoick the Vast. They hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms and he was sure that everyone on the Edge had been questioned about his whereabouts. At least they had no information to really give...mostly. All they could possibly tell him is that he left and was going with Dagur, destination unknown.

He had more or less gotten used to people calling him 'sir' and asking him what his actual title was. Initially, his title had been Hiccup the Useless. Then, it became Dragon Trainer and Dragon Conqueror (which he never truly appreciated, since you _train_ dragons and you don't _conquer_ them). However, this had somehow become somewhat common knowledge across the archipelago, as had nickname he had earned growing up: Stoick's little embarrassment. He wasn't sure which was worse, actually, being useless or an outright embarrassment. Of course, he hadn't ever truly grown out of his clumsy and awkward phase, or so Astrid had said. He couldn't help but think of her on nights like these when he saw nothing but stars in the dark sky and listened to the calls of dragons piercing the air…

Wait. That didn't make any sense at all. They had to be at least a few miles out and he could hear them that clearly? But that could only mean…?

Dragon Hunters? _Of course_. Hiccup hadn't seen seen them before, but at this point he knew that it was fair to say he didn't like them. There weren't many people that Hiccup didn't like and even fewer people that he outright despised, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't exactly get along with them. Hiccup jumped down from perch on the side of the boat, which he was fairly certain always made the crew quite jumpy. He had never particularly liked being at sea as much as he did flying, which is probably why he grew bored so easily. He noticed that Toothless had tensed up, as he had obviously heard the noises as well. It wasn't that surprising, really. Toothless hadn't reacted all that well to all the traps, cages and bones on the Dragon Hunter ship they had found, so he could only imagine how he was feeling now. Hiccup wanted nothing more than to fly ahead and blast his way in, releasing the dragons and...blowing his cover. The only thing he could do was hope the dragons could escape somehow, at least _some_ of them, anyway. Closing his eyes and straightening his back, he went to his room so he could cover his ears and block out the noise. He needed to write a message to Astrid about this new information, but he didn't really have a Terrible Terror conveniently taking a nap on the banisters. At least, that's what he had thought initially.

Writing a message to Astrid was going to be a little tricky, he knew, only because he needed whatever he wrote to be short but also really hard for anyone else to figure out. If some random person tried to figure it out, he would rather send them on some weird chase. He hadn't been exactly sure how the poor Terror had managed it, but he assumed that Astrid had sent him; otherwise he wouldn't have woken up to find Sharpshot mere inches from his face. It had been more than slightly alarming, to be honest and he had to bite his lip hard enough to make it bleed so he didn't yell and alert everyone else. Ever since then, Sharpshot had stayed out of sight for the most part, only coming down every once in awhile from his place on the banisters.

 _A:_

 _Found them and am with him now, but I wish you were too. I will get more things soon as soon as I see the Queen. I don't need presents; the last one felt too sharp. It seems this charcoal is shot. I need to find another._

 _-H._

That seemed cryptic enough, or so he hoped. He wasn't sure that _he'd_ even know if he hadn't been the one that wrote it. Wrapping it with some string around Sharpshot's foot, he snuck out with him perched on his shoulder and waited for another swarm of dragons that would inevitably make their way towards them. It wasn't a huge bunch and a Terror definitely wouldn't belong in that group, but it was the best chance he had.

"Give it to Astrid, Sharpshot and no one else. Be careful." Hiccup said quietly, scratching him one last time before sending him off. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Fishlegs put the pieces together, but there wasn't anything that he could do about that. If anything, it would probably help to have some more brains on their side.

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On the Island~

Dragon Island had, in Hiccup's opinion, changed very little since his last visit; unless you were looking at the beach, which was covered in dragon cages. Hiccup could barely hide his distaste at the sight, preferring to maintain the neutral expression he'd been forced to more or less adopt since they had arrived. Upon their arrival, they had immediately run into the leader of this _merry_ band of idiots. Inwardly, Hiccup cringed at his mere presence, watching as Toothless barely restrained himself. The greedy way he looked at Toothless had not escaped his notice, however, nor had the frustrated growl of being denied at such a prize. He wasn't exactly sure what Dagur's plan was, but what he _did_ know is that he didn't trust this Ryker guy by any means. _What was that saying? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?_ Well, it seemed as if he wouldn't have much trouble accomplishing _that_. Whatever Dagur's plans were, he was sure that Dagur probably didn't trust him any more than Hiccup did; probably less, if he had to venture a guess. Sighing in more than a little frustration, Hiccup went off exploring just for the sake of getting away. In all honesty, he knew that he'd find out anything and everything later anyway, so he had no reason to really stay.

~another conveniently placed timeskip here~ XD

It was almost sundown when Toothless began fidgeting next to Hiccup, obviously wanting to go for a flight. Hiccup bit his lip, concerned about the possibilities when it came to the Dragon Hunters. He didn't trust them and he _definitely_ didn't trust Ryker. He didn't know what had gone on in his absence, which made him all the more nervous. Upon returning to their camp, Ryker's lack of presence meant that Hiccup would have less of a problem than he initially thought. Maybe they were already gone, but that was probably thinking way too positively. After several minutes of walking around and trying to avoid the others at the same time, he found his brother frowning and once again looking at a crudely drawn map; this time drawn in the dirt with a stick. He could tell that he wasn't truly looking at the ground, but he did seem to be more stuck in his own thoughts than usual. This probably didn't bode well for either one of them. He wasn't entirely sure what the plans were, and he wasn't sure how to ask.

"Dagur-" Hiccup began, before being cut off almost immediately.

"Brother, I was wondering when you would come and see me!" Dagur yelled in an clearly false cheery sort of tone. As Hiccup gave him a 'what-is- _up_ -with-you' sort of expression, he deflated and adopted a more serious expression. "We have some things to talk about, I suppose."

"Probably." Hiccup said in a flat tone, wanting this conversation to just be over and done with.

"I guess we can start off by talking about our plans concerning these Hunters." Dagur said, looking somewhat reluctant. "I've decided to...join them for a while."

While a part of Hiccup had indeed been expecting it, he couldn't help but feel absolutely livid. He was sure that there was some sort of decorum or rules, considering that he was undoubtedly the youngest of the two. That being said, he knew that meant that he was generally supposed to submit to the elder's decisions and be okay with that. It was how tribes worked. You were either the chief and made the decisions or you just followed them like everyone else. While Hiccup knew this and had _grown up_ knowing this, at the moment he found that he just _didn't care_.

"You're going to what?! Are you insane? I get the whole deranged thing, but this is just...I'll _die_ before I join them! If you want me to leave just say so!" Hiccup yelled for the first time in a long while. He didn't get mad that often, but this was just too much. Dagur raised his hands in what looked like a mock surrender, more than likely quite a bit surprised at the anger.

"I knew I shouldn't have said anything, but I couldn't necessarily lie to you, either. I never really wanted you to find out about it. The truth is that I'm just using them for information and stuff. I don't trust any of them, especially not that idiot Ryker."

"I don't think he's anything but brawn, to be honest. " Hiccup mumbled mostly to himself. "He seems to be something of an 'all brawn, no brains' kind of guy, so that kind of leaves me wondering if he's actually working alone. I mean, there's no way he's smart enough to pull this kind of thing off by himself."

"Probably not."

"So, we're using them for information for now and then what? We find out who is heading this entire operation? Why? What's the point of all of this?" Hiccup asked, trying not to let on how suspicious he really was.

Dagur looked up at his brother and shrugged noncommittally, which was probably about as unconvincing as he could possibly get. That by itself was concerning enough, especially since Hiccup could see himself blurring the lines as of late. He had noticed how relaxed the others were around him now, no longer calling him sire or sir all of the time. He had also noticed that he wasn't spending nearly as much time in his room as he used to, when he was still feeling tense and uncomfortable all of the time. Was he beginning to lose it or maybe he was failing his mission. He couldn't fail; too many things were on the line.

A/N: Okay, I'm done for now methinks. In all honesty, I DO have another section involving one or two of the riders and some other stuff, but bleh. I'm tired and it's only like 21:00 hours. Oh, man. This has been an incredibly long day and a really long week. My mom had a mass taken out near her lung the size of a melon and it's been chaos ever since.


	15. Is the Mission More Important

A/N: Alright, I can basically say that most of the reason I haven't written anything else so far is because I am just out of ideas as to where I want it to go...sort of. I mean, I have a broad spectrum kind of plan, but the specifics are kind of sketchy. Sigh. Why does this always happen? Anywho, I'm not sure how long this particular chapter will be, seeing as it's more or less a continuation of the last chapter that didn't get finished the last time.

Last chapter: Hiccup had a lot to deal with, as he not only got information about the Dragon Hunters, but met Ryker himself. As he tries to figure out Dagur's true motives for continuing to follow the Hunter's moves, he finds the lines between his mission and familial ties getting blurry. Can he keep things separated or will he find himself forced to choose between the two?

Chapter 15: Is the Mission More Important?

Finally receiving word from Hiccup made Astrid feel more relief than she had felt in days, and she wished that she could have shared it with the others. Things seemed to only feel more tense after Stoick's departure, making her wonder if she should just give up trying. She knew that Hiccup had left it up to her to maintain the order of things, but it just seemed impossible. She wasn't the kind of leader that he was, and things just seemed to be falling apart so quickly these days that they were close to irreparable. How he thought she could manage things without her was beyond him. Part of her was sort of thankful that she wasn't being forced to constantly wrangle the twins and Snotlout like he always was, but now she almost missed it. Almost.

With the cover of darkness, Astrid snuck over to Hiccup's hut and opened the message that Sharpshot had given her. She had quickly scanned over it earlier, but it was sort of hard to figure out at a first glance; which, of course meant that he was purposefully using some sort of code or something. Perfect. Well, it wasn't hard to understand why. With all these new problems as of late, it would be trouble if someone intercepted the message. On the plus side, it wouldn't really matter if Snotlout or the twins found it. She doubted they could really manage to figure out what it said. Reading over it a second time, she decided to take it in a line at a time.

 _Found them and am with him now, but I wish you were here_

Okay, that could mean several things, really. It could mean that he had already found the Hunters, but that was unlikely. She knew for certain that he had found Dagur, although she wasn't really sure why. So, it was most likely that he was saying that he had found Dagur and was on the ship, but wishing she was there. Well, that made two of them.

 _I will get more things as soon as I see the Queen._

Well, she knew for sure that the only queen either of them knew was the dragon queen, and so that likely meant that he was trying to find more information or something like that. And if she was reading it right, it meant that he was on route to Dragon Island to meet someone or something like that? Oh, Thor, did she need Fishlegs' help for this! She knew that if she asked him what this meant that she'd have to tell him everything, which was a bad idea for several reasons. One main reason being that he was horrible at holding out in interrogations. Merely glancing at Fishlegs would cause him to cave in under the pressure and spill all the details he knew. No, asking him for help was the last thing she should do. Okay, so the last set of lines was fairly simple, she supposed.

 _I don't need presents; the last one felt too sharp. It seems the charcoal is shot. I need to find another._

Well, that sounded fairly straightforward enough. It seemed as if he didn't want her to send Sharpshot back or reply. He obviously was putting no effort into disguising the emphasis on Sharpshot's name, which made it pretty obvious. But he needed to find another...what? Another Terrible Terror to send messages with? Either way, she was a little desperate herself to go and see him. She knew how illogical it was, but she was beyond worried and it didn't sit right with her that he was with Dagur on his ship. What was really happening? Dragon Island was unfortunately quite the distance away, and would take her a few days at the least to get there and back. In their current situation, she wasn't sure that anyone would actually notice her being gone. They might assume that she went back to Berk or maybe tried to chase after Hiccup. Ironically, they wouldn't exactly be _wrong_ in this case.

Things were only getting worse on Berk, she was sure, as she had last heard that there were all sorts of rumors going around about some epic fight that Hiccup and Stoick had. It sort of made sense that Stoick was trying to put an end to them, but he had just made her problems worse. The fighting here wasn't as loud as it used to be and it wasn't always as obvious, but it wasn't pleasant either way. It wasn't anything more than it used to be at first, just some comments here and there and a lot of other things she was perfectly willing to just ignore. Now and then some annoying spats would flare up, making her realize exactly how out of control this whole situation was becoming. She was more than a little surprised that they were all still here on the same island in one piece...or so. Without Hiccup here to help her it seemed that everything was just going to spiral out of control.

She wasn't surprised to note that Snotlout had once again become the worst out of all of them. Granted, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it used to be; and he didn't flirt with her shamelessly as if he had either finally realized or just didn't care. He wasn't so much as a bully as he was just absolutely angry. He wouldn't talk about it, though. She tried asking if Stoick had brought up anything _specific_ , but he just stormed off and kicked several pieces of furniture on his way out the door. Usually, Astrid would just bash some sense into everyone, instead of trying to get them to understand. She wasn't soft and cuddly like Hiccup knew how to be; she was a soldier, a shield maiden. She didn't _do_ soft and it wasn't expected of her. She doesn't know _exactly_ where Hiccup is, because he could be anywhere really. The message could have been several days ago for all she knew, but that didn't mean that she didn't want to go. Fishlegs had been super depressed and reclusive, hardly ever going outside. The twins weren't anything like they used to be, sometimes acting lethargic or just outright mad. You could never really tell with those two, but that wasn't anything that had actually changed. Even with none of their pranks or setting things on fire, Astrid was going mad. She needed a night ride. That had always calmed her down in the past, even if she had always been flying alongside Toothless and Hiccup back then.

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxThis is a page break where you'll finally see Hiccup XDxxxxxxxxXXXXX

Hiccup had retreated back to his quarters, ignoring the usual questions that came from every one of the surrounding soldiers. It was kinda funny in a way, really. He could hardly ever get help back at The Edge, but here people were practically begging to help him. Toothless was hanging off of a banister and tilted his head curiously. Hiccup merely waved it off, thinking it really wasn't worth the effort of explaining. As he glanced at Toothless, he sighed. He really wanted to go on a ride right now, but he didn't want to face all the others so soon. He supposed that's one thing he _did_ miss. He used to able to just sneak away with no effort whatsoever, but now everyone knew the minute he stepped out the door. He could sneak out if he wanted to, but it really wasn't worth the effort to try. He had a weird gut feeling that he needed the rest tonight. He wasn't sure exactly where this weird feeling was coming from or why he was feeling this way, but sometimes it was better to trust his gut.

Sometimes he just wished he could be wrong.

Toothless had sensed her coming a good while before she even got in the area, which was quite impressive really. It was early in the morning (far too early, in Hiccup's opinion) when Toothless bolted up off of his makeshift bed and ran towards the door. Hiccup had barely slept, feeling way too wound up and anxious about whatever could be happening. He should have known it was going to be like this, really.

XXXXXXXXxxxxxIt's dangerous here, go back to sleepxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXX

Stormfly had stopped so suddenly that Astrid just about fell off of her back out of shock. She had been thinking how to address the different problems on the Edge, which had her quite deep in thought. It was really unlike her to be so distracted that she lost track of her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was leaving to go on a flight, heading in the direction of Dragon Island. But where was she now? She could see some ships a little ways down, but they weren't moving at all. According to the sails, one of them looked like a...Dragon Hunter ship? The next ship over looked like Dagur's, which meant that they were meeting here. Were they teaming up or something? This was all sorts of bad news! But Hiccup would never team up with the Hunters, so what could be happening with that? One thing was for sure, though. She had to get out of here before anyone noticed and it was too late.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThings can always go worse~xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

If there was one complication he didn't need, it was Astrid showing up out of nowhere and messing everything up. He had told her to stay away, hadn't he? Didn't Sharpshot deliver the message to her? Or did she just not pay attention at all? Maybe things back on the Edge were worse now that he was gone, but he couldn't concentrate on that now.

"Toothless, let's go before she gets herself killed." Hiccup muttered as he ran out and launched himself up towards her as fast as he could manage.

He had to have some sort of plan; something that wouldn't give him away and something that would let everyone get out safe. Tuff had told him on more than one occasion in the past that his acting skills were less than spectacular, but he had to hope that he could manage some sort of drama right now. Just as he came face to face with Astrid, he realized how much he missed her and how much he just wanted to keep her with him. Looking at Stormfly, he smiled sadly. He knew that there was only one way out of this. He sighed, knowing she'd be so mad if she knew what was coming.

"Alright bud, you've gotta make it look real or they'll probably try and capture them, maybe even kill them." he said quietly to Toothless, and then looked down at the boats out of the corner of his eye. They were getting things ready, just in case things went badly for them. Well, that just gave him all the more reason to do this. Sighing, Hiccup muttered and then just resigned himself to his fate. "Astrid, what are you doing here? I never told you to follow me! I'm with my brother now and I won't have you involved. Whatever is happening is none of my concern." he said, trying to keep his voice steady. He was sure that she saw him waver, but he couldn't let his resolve crumble. There was too much at stake. Toothless and Stormfly pushed off of each other, barely touching and growling. Neither one of them truly meant it, but it was a life or death situation. Looking at Stormfly when Astrid wasn't looking directly at him, Hiccup gave the dragon a sign they had worked on in their training a long while ago. Astrid was sure to be quite angry once she figured it out, but she'd be a good distance away by the time that happened. Hopefully.

Flipping his hand casually, he leaned in towards Astrid right before her inevitable descent towards the ocean.

"I am sorry, Astrid."

If nothing else, he wanted her to know that he didn't mean anything by what he had said. He was on a mission, after all, and he couldn't let anyone get in danger because of him. Besides, he didn't want her to think he was a horrible person. If he had had more time, he probably would have said something else...something more helpful or something. He tried to keep his calm as he watched her plummet towards the ocean at what seemed like a slow motion. More than anything, he wanted to take Toothless and dive to catch her and make sure she was okay. He knew more than anything that she was more than capable of taking care of herself, but it would at least make _him_ feel better. He landed back on the ship, keeping an unreadable expression on his face. He felt more than saw Dagur glance knowingly at him. He had undoubtedly figured out what Hiccup had done, or at least part of it. It didn't take a genius to realize that that fight was _completely_ fake. But luckily, Ryker was the exact opposite of a genius. He might know his dragons, because he probably had to in his...line of work. But that was all he knew, and the rest was just brawn. Hiccup felt Dagur's eyes follow him all the way back to his quarters, where he would finally have a chance to try and forget that he had, for all intents and purposes, just hit Astrid. If she was injured, then he'd never be able to forgive himself.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxAstrid is angry! Astrid is angry!xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'He trained Stormfly to flip me!' Astrid fumed, throwing her axe at various targets in the training ring. She had been trying to vent ever since she got back, with no avail. Although she had to admit that she was quite impressed with the fact that Hiccup had trained the Nadder, it still didn't excuse the fact. It kinda felt like a betrayal. But it only felt worse when she thought about his sad eyes that refused to cry and the apology right before she fell. That's the way he was, though. He was always so emotional, showing his true emotions in his eyes. She was going to go crazy, just trying to keep a handle on everyone here. To make things worse, she had seen the way that Fishlegs had been looking at her sneaking in and out of Hiccup's hut right after she got back. She should have known better. Snotlout and the twins would probably remain oblivious for months or even years, but Fishlegs was just about as smart as Hiccup. They both liked looking at a vast variety of things that she could never even hope to understand. She would have told Fishlegs already if she could count on him not saying anything to Stoick! Well, she needed some sort of advice and he was it other than Gothi and she was all the way back on Berk. As long as she kept it nice and distant, perhaps even vague...she could tell him what was going on.

A/N: So Fishlegs is finally going to get to find out...or will he just figure it out? And what's going on with Ryker? Are they going to meet Viggo? :o Who knows? XD


	16. Telling Fishlegs

A/N: I'm back! I'm trying to get all of my different stories updated, which I will admit is a little harder than I had initially hoped. Of course, that's why I don't usually do more than one at a time, but sometimes I get a little greedy with the plot bunnies. o_O Thankfully, I finally managed to finish my monster of a NCIS fic yesterday...or the day before; well, a decent sized chapter anyway. With that in mind, I'll get this underway.

Last chapter: Astrid gets a message from Hiccup and deciphers it, managing to gather the meaning but also longing to just get Fishlegs involved. Astrid decides to venture out on her own at one point and somehow manages to run into not only Hiccup, but everyone with him as well. Deciding to spare her from being captured, Hiccup fights her and uses his skills to knock her into the water. O_O

Chapter 16: Telling Fishlegs

Astrid had been fuming ever since her confrontation with Hiccup, which hadn't exactly escaped everyone else's notice. It was obvious that it had _something_ to do with Hiccup, but no one knew exactly what had caused this sudden change in temperament. Fishlegs had been a lot more patient than the others, not really bothering to ask why she had suddenly started attacking inanimate objects. It wasn't that he wasn't curious or that he didn't want to know; he just knew that he might lose at least a finger if he got too close when she was like this. The others apparently had no such boundaries, and no problems approaching what could be seen as a sleeping Thunderdrum. He wasn't quite sure whether he wanted to applaud their bravery or groan at their stupidity. It came in equal measures in Viking society, so it was practically an everyday occurrence anyway. Fishlegs decided that the more logical (and not _at all_ cowardly) approach was to simply observe her, hoping that she wouldn't find out in the process.

Astrid wasn't stupid, nor was she oblivious to the fact that she was being watched by Fishlegs these days. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to tell him everything or just hide in her hut for the next several days, but she knew that both of those options were less than favourable. This wasn't the first time that she had been faced with a nearly impossible choice, but she knew this was by far the hardest. She had to weigh her options, because she knew without a doubt that it wasn't just her that would suffer if she made the wrong decision. If they got interrogated again by Stoick, what was going to happen if she _did_ end up telling Fishlegs? While it was true that he was probably just going to figure it out on his own at some point anyway, what would the repercussions end up being? She was pretty sure that the only reason Stoick would ever bother coming back to Dragon's Edge was to deal with Snotlout and the possibility of him becoming the new heir, but if he somehow figured out that they knew more than they had said; there would be trouble. So she had a choice to make, in that regard. She could tell him, hoping that he could hold his own, or not tell him and let him figure it out on his own. The warrior part of her mind was telling her forewarned is forearmed, but she couldn't help but wonder if it was what Hiccup would want her to do. That was probably what frustrated her the most; she kept circling back to 'what would Hiccup do?', and coming up with no answer whatsoever. She was going to go mad at this rate, but she was running out of time and she knew it. It was made particularly difficult, due to the fact that whenever she asked herself what he would do she became exceptionally angry.

There was nothing for it and this was becoming the final straw for everyone, not just Astrid and Fishlegs. Everyone was, of course, not only noticing Astrid's fuming as the days went on, but also Fishlegs' careful "stalking" (investigating!). It was becoming quite curious to see who would be the first to snap. Everyone knew Astrid was well-known for her lack of patience, and she looked like she was about to snap in one form or another. It was pretty common knowledge amongst the Berkians as a whole (plus a few other unfortunate souls), that she had a rather short temper at times and absolutely no problem showing you the business end of an axe should you just happen to be in the way. Even with having that in mind, the others seemed to have no issue placing bets as to when she would finally snap at someone.

Granted, it was probably the only thing that made things bearable at the Edge, which was probably why Astrid hadn't bothered saying anything. Even if it was at her own expense, she wouldn't and _couldn't_ be bothered by such trivial matters. She knew for a fact that they did things like that all of the time when Hiccup had still been around and he just seemed to roll his eyes and move on with his day. It wasn't harming anything or any _one_ , so she just chose to ignore it. Astrid had been quite aware that Fishlegs had given up scolding the twins and Snotlout for what had now escalated to a betting pool. She had to give him credit for at least trying, but there was no point as they had stopped meeting at the clubhouse when they wanted to talk about such things. Looking at them always made Astrid's resolve crumble just a bit, wanting to just tell them everything about what was going on. She knew that she had made a promise to Hiccup, but why wouldn't he want them to know what side he was really on? They could keep a secret...most of the time. Yeah, well, she could see his point as far as that went, but they needed something! She felt like going to his hut and just throwing whatever she could find, except for the things that involved his so-called "mission". It hadn't even been a week since she had seen him last and she felt like punching him...hard.

She lasted almost halfway into the second week before it just became too much and she finally lost her temper on a poor unsuspecting tree in the forest. That didn't mean that she couldn't have just gone to the training arena, but for some reason trees just seemed more appealing on that particular morning. She wasn't sure, but she thought she heard Snotlout tell one of the twins to pay up. Had she not been caught up in an anger-filled haze, she might have demanded to know what the nature of said bet was. At this point, she just didn't care. Hiccup was gone and she was more or less on her own. She remembered him saying that he trusted Fishlegs to look after the base (meaning his cousin and the twins, for the most part),* which meant that she should be able to trust him. However, there was the problem regarding Stoick, which wasn't going away _anytime_ soon. More than anything, she wished that she had Hiccup's advice and maybe that her last memory wasn't of him knocking her into the water! Throwing her axe again, she hit the tree and just stood there with little thought to the world around her. There wasn't much she could do, was there? He told her not to tell anyone, obviously with very little thought as to how she was going to have to deal with things when he left. While she knew he probably meant well, things had gotten complicated way too fast in her opinion. As she had finally let out all of her pent up rage on the poor tree, she sank to the forest floor and thought over her options.

She could tell Fishlegs and risk him telling absolutely everyone he came into contact with, especially the chief or she could wait until he just figured it out on his own. She figured that either way it wouldn't matter, because he would find out, but he would be looking to her for information. This meant that she could control how much he knew...probably. In the end, it might turn out to be an 'all or nothing' sort of thing, seeing as it might as well be try or die. With that in mind, she set off towards where she knew Fishlegs currently was. She would have brought Stormfly along, but she knew that the poor dragon was feeling rather depressed these days. From what she could gather so far, she seemed to be missing Toothless about as much as she missed Hiccup. She would never leave the island without Astrid, but she probably wanted to nevertheless.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXHiccupxandxToothlessxarexmissingXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Finding Fishlegs was turning out to be more difficult than she thought, as he hadn't been where she had initially...thought. How was it that when she had _finally_ made up her mind to tell Fishlegs a certain amount of information, so he couldn't _possibly_ give anything away; how was it that he had _now_ chosen to vanish? Having been at all of his regular spots, she wasn't even sure he was on the island at this point. He had to be, because she had made a speech about not just running off on your own. There was way too much going on as it was without people going and getting themselves into trouble. Astrid had looked everywhere that she could think of, but she was sure that Hiccup would have probably found him by now. Yet again, it always seems to come back to that. With nothing better to do, she waited in the clubhouse and began sharpening her axe. She could be patient if she actually chose to be, but she wanted to just get this over and done with. But maybe that had more to do with the fact that she was feeling somewhat guilty over what she was about to do. She _had_ told Hiccup that no one else would know, so what was she doing? Here she was, waiting for Fishlegs to arrive, just so she could do one of the very things that she promised him she wouldn't.

Thump.

At first, Astrid would've mistaken the noise for her heart taking a direct route to her gut, but then she realized that Fishlegs had finally arrived with Meatlug not far behind. She wasn't exactly sure when she had stopped breathing or had closed her eyes, but as she opened them; she felt the guilt come crashing back down on her full force. Should she really be doing this, even if he was going to end up finding out anyway? It was for the best, she knew, even if it meant breaking a promise. He would look at Hiccup in a different light now, which was good, but Hiccup had a very good intuition. It was both a blessing and a curse, from her point of view. While it was a good thing to have in a battle situation, it was a horrible thing when you knew your closest friends were trying to hide something _very_ important from you. She knew that Fishlegs had been more than patient with her, especially since she had been considerably lost in thought for some time now. Glancing up at him with what could be considered an exceptionally out of character shy look, she knew time was up. It was now or never and she knew without a doubt that this was the decision that would undoubtedly haunt her for the rest of her life. She knew that it was for the best, but she had made a promise which was going to do nothing but put a stain on her character as a whole. He'd know it was her and he'd forgive her...eventually, just because that's the kind of man he is. The only problem was her trying to forgive herself, she supposed.

"We need to talk, but I think you already know that." Astrid stated as she stood up suddenly, walking towards Fishlegs and somehow managing to drag him in the direction of Hiccup's hut. Needless to say, Fishlegs wasn't quite sure what to be more surprised about; the fact that they were going to what used be Hiccup's place or how sudden this talk had happened. Nevertheless, he did what he probably always would...he just went along with it. No sense fighting a losing battle after all.

"Why are we-?" he started, before Astrid stopped and almost made him crash into her.

"No more questions until we get there, and don't bother asking why." Astrid all but snapped as she started to drag him once again. As soon as they arrived, Astrid made Meatlug stand guard, as Stormfly had yet to return or was at her place. She was really starting to get worried, but she would only admit that to a select few. As soon as she knew that no one was around, she took out what she knew wouldn't get anyone in trouble if they got questioned.

"This is where they are, around Dragon Island?" Fishlegs guessed, pointing to a map on the desk.

"Well, that was a little while ago, so I don't really know where they are now or what they're doing."

"He's with Dagur, but he's on a mission...which means-"

"I'm afraid so."

"How much was I supposed to know about this?" he asked, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Probably close to...none of it."

"What?!"

"Well, you were going to figure it out soon anyways, and if he sends me any other information; it might not be as easy to decipher as the last one!"

"But if he ever finds out-"

"Don't you think I know that?!" Astrid yelled, all but pulling on her hair. "I know, but he's gone and I'm left with the Edge and this mess."

"I guess we'll just have to pretend that I don't know or something. It doesn't matter right now, really, because we probably won't be seeing him for a while."

"So, for now we are doing what I've been doing all along."

"Which is what...exactly?"

"We don't stray too far on patrol and stay close to the island and the ones surrounding us. We pretend that we haven't even heard from him at all. Stoick is bound to come back around to talk about the heir issue, so we need to stay vigilant and make no mistakes on this one. If we mess up, it's not just us who'll be in trouble."

"Got it."

A/N: _ It's 2:30 in the morning, but I got it done for those of you who have been waiting since probably...November or something. Sorry, I'll try and do better this next time around. This is probably one of the longest fics I've ever written, and I have absolutely NO idea how long it'll be :-p On another note: *episode 69 is Follow the Leader (Race to the Edge, pretty obvious), where Hiccup states there's no one he'd rather leave in charge...I might be wrong on the exact quote. I know it doesn't fit with the story's timeline, but it's pretty much AU, so...meh.

Also, I know that (even though the story is AU) Fishlegs and Astrid ended up being kind of OOC this time around. This also ended up being somewhat of a filler chapter, which was...disappointing. -_-'


	17. Exploring and Spying

A/N: So, I realize that it's been _way_ too long since I last wrote, but my muse seems to have wanted a vacation as of late. Now, I'll warn you ahead of time that this is an intermission of sorts to get the ball rolling again. That, and I hurt my arm to the point that I have no idea how long I'll be able to type. T-T

Last chapter: Astrid finally breaks down and tells Fishlegs, hoping for some help; albeit against Hiccup's wishes. The thought of Stoick returning to the Edge and interrogating them seems to be at the edge of everyone's minds, knowing things will inevitably be worse the next time around…

Chapter 17: Exploring and Spying

Hiccup wanted to die, and he was pretty sure he was. He supposed that some of it was his fault, seeing as his brother had tried to talk him out of his...exploring. He had recognized the area before they'd even gotten to the island, much to his dismay. Breakneck Bog. He had been told it was just a stop before going to several others along the way. Hiccup wasn't fooled, though. There was an end to this, probably the Hunters base if he had to guess. Of course, if he hadn't tried to go and find out he wouldn't have found himself confined to his cabin with Toothless as a nurse/guard. He was pretty sure that he should feel insulted by that, but he didn't think he really cared at the moment. Putting a hand above his forehead, he could feel the heat that seemed to come off in waves. He groaned in frustration at how unjust it was. Here he was, bound to his quarters for the foreseeable future while he had only been trying to help get information and do some exploring. But as usual, the Gods were just yanking him all over the place.

 _Flashback:_

" _I'm telling you that it's a bad idea Hiccup! There's a reason we've stopped like this and it's not just to look at the scenery!" Dagur yelled, giving up all pretenses at staying calm._

 _They'd been arguing for at least five or ten minutes and no amount of calm was present in either of their voices. Every once in awhile there was a slam on the table that made everyone outside the door cringe. The two of them had gotten loud enough for most of the men to hear, but all of them knew to make themselves scarce. One Berserker temper was enough, but add in another and there could be blood. They'd never seen what could happen when Hiccup lost his temper, but they could tell it was rare. The ones that always held it in were usually the worst, though. Another slam was heard, but this time it seemed closer to the door. A few guards winced as they heard the Night Fury growl in warning._

" _I'm tired of no one listening! Just…" Hiccup paused, losing steam and slid to the floor. He supposed a lot of his arguing was just him venting and letting off steam, but he was sure that Dagur already knew that and had let him do that. "Why won't you listen? Why won't anyone ever listen?" he whispered, pulling his knees up He heard Dagur sigh in what was either frustration at him or just at people like Stoick, who made him like this._

" _I've been listening. I'm just telling you it's a bad idea to try and spy on them right now." Hiccup looked up, ready to protest before Dagur went on. "I didn't say you couldn't; I said you should wait. We don't have anything organized, and we've yet to even see their real fighting force."_

" _All the more reason for me to go! I'll get some information and get out, maybe do some exploring." Hiccup tried, hoping to for the more logical approach._

 _Dagur stopped in front of his brother, looking less than impressed with this new direction in the conversation. The room was an absolute mess, which wasn't all that surprising considering the circumstances. He had actually been waiting to see if he could draw out Hiccup's anger, if only for him to be able to vent his frustrations. If the full-blown rage he'd seen was any indication, he'd merely scratched the surface. Apparently, Hiccup had bottled up a lot of emotions over the years._

" _So it's "exploring" that you're doing, huh? Exactly what did you plan on exploring, brother?" He saw Hiccup bite his lip, obviously trying to think of a suitable answer that seemed logical enough. There wasn't one, but neither one of them were going to give in anytime soon; as the stubbornness were so deeply ingrained in the Viking culture in general. Failing that, Hiccup's fallback seemed to often be sarcasm; even if it happened less than it used to._

" _You know, just here and there...around the island."_

" _Brother, you are a horrible liar." Dagur said with a flat look, shaking his head. "I want to just tie you to the mast of the ship so you don't do something stupid."_

" _I'm not going to!-" Hiccup yelled, sounding indignant and quite frankly, offended._

" _Oh?" Dagur asked, sounding a little too lightly._

" _No!"_

" _No need to get all defensive, brother. If that's the case, I guess I have nothing to worry about." he replied, going about picking up everything that had been thrown in different directions during the fight. Giving Hiccup a look that could only be interpreted as "you helped make this mess, too, so start cleaning"; Hiccup sighed and looked at Toothless._

" _Come on, bud. We better get started." he muttered, only to receive a grumble which meant 'I didn't do it, why should I care?' Hiccup was left cleaning while Toothless went to the corner and took a nap. "Useless lazy reptile, you could at least pretend to help." he mumbled, grumpily until a random piece of charcoal came flying towards his head. After glaring at Toothless for a minute, he debated throwing it back at him until his brother cleared his throat; giving him a unimpressed look. Feeling suitably chastised, he silently continued cleaning. He knew that usually he would've tried talking or being sarcastic, but things were already bad enough._

He shouldn't have taken the chance and he knew that, but he wanted to go for his fly at sunset; and the next thing he knew he was exploring. Somehow, he knew deep inside that things weren't going to end well for them. Maybe he was just feeling reckless or was just dwelling too much on his...conversation with Dagur; somehow managing to get a lot closer to the Hunter's ship than he normally would. He felt Toothless tense up and snapped out of his thoughts just in time to barely avoid hitting one of the spikes on the stern, causing Toothless to roar in surprise. Hiccup couldn't help but groan at his bad luck. There was no way that someone didn't hear that, which meant they had very little time to either hide or just use their speed to get out as fast as they could. It wasn't good odds, that's for sure. Hiding and hoping for an opening was probably the best option, but it left him a huge blindspot. Sure,Toothless would hear them coming, but they'd have very little space or time to escape. If he was _extremely_ lucky, the Hunters had no idea what they had just seen and were just about to count it as a figment of their imagination. Either way, he was in for a good sized lecture the next time Dagur saw him.

TBC…

A/N: Did I just leave Hiccup clinging to the side of an enemy ship surrounded by enemies /o_o\ By golly, I think I did! By golly...lolz. I can't even remember the last time I used that phrase. Anywho, I'm going to try and (hopefully) update this either tonight or sometime this weekend. I was going to do it earlier, but I was out of state and then school started...sigh. And I've been suffering some serious writer's block. I'm hoping to get back up and running. I have some ideas for other fics...again, but I need to update my others before I get too excited. Again. -_-


	18. You Live, You Learn

Last chapter: Hiccup and Dagur have a _decent_ sized argument, debating Hiccup's need to "explore" AKA spy on the Dragon Hunters. Needless to say, Hiccup goes anyway and finds himself in a predicament without any backup.

Chapter 18: You Live, You Learn?

 _He shouldn't have taken the chance and he knew that, but he wanted to go for his fly at sunset; and the next thing he knew he was exploring. Somehow, he knew deep inside that things weren't going to end well for them. Maybe he was just feeling reckless or was just dwelling too much on his...conversation with Dagur; somehow managing to get a lot closer to the Hunter's ship than he normally would. He felt Toothless tense up and snapped out of his thoughts just in time to barely avoid hitting one of the spikes on the stern, causing Toothless to roar in surprise. Hiccup couldn't help but groan at his bad luck. There was no way that someone didn't hear that, which meant they had very little time to either hide or just use their speed to get out as fast as they could. It wasn't good odds, that's for sure. Hiding and hoping for an opening was probably the best option, but it left him a huge blindspot. Sure,Toothless would hear them coming, but they'd have very little space or time to escape. If he was extremely lucky, the Hunters had no idea what they had just seen and were just about to count it as a figment of their imagination. Either way, he was in for a good sized lecture the next time Dagur saw him._

He wanted to rely on Toothless' ability to blend into the night, but he was pretty sure that wouldn't work this time. Making a split-second decision, (which he knew was just outright reckless) he prayed to the gods he made it out of this at least somewhat unscathed. Toothless didn't seem all that sure of it, but trusted him nevertheless. Hoping to beat the hunters wakeup call or at least stay out of sight; they did a fast dive that skimmed the side of the boat, accidentally rocking it with the waves it created. Hiccup winced, knowing that they couldn't necessarily see him, but arrows were on their way regardless. They were going to shoot blindly, hoping to hit whatever was in the water, thinking it was probably a seadragon of some sort. He tried to steer them towards the island to get out of range, knowing Dagur had undoubtedly heard the commotion. He knew that he should make his way back towards his boat, but the impractical part of him wanted to put things off as long as possible. True to form, he saw Dagur at the highest point of the ship looking straight at him, undoubtedly giving him a 'we'll be having a long talk about this later' look.

It's always that one second of distraction that makes things go from bad to worse, isn't it?

Toothless suddenly jerked towards the side, avoiding another blind shot to his side; inevitably, this lead to a most unfortunate series of events that could've been avoided altogether. Surprised by the change in direction and too distracted to notice, Hiccup fell towards the water. Usually, this wouldn't have been too much of an issue, as it had happened many times before and Toothless had caught him to prevent too much damage from being done. The problem wasn't the water, as much as the arrows that were heading straight towards them. One had miraculously bounced off of his left "foot", leaving a few heading towards Toothless and one _regrettably_ in his right side. Toothless was barely able to grab him seconds before they hit the water, pulling him towards the shore. Things couldn't get worse, unless a hunter decided to try and find whatever they had shot down in the night. Hiccup could only hope that as mad as his brother was, he would send for help. He felt Toothless' wings wrap around him, trying to keep him warm in the chilling night. The arrow was pushed slightly deeper as the wings wrapped around him, which made him hiss in pain. Toothless licked him, obviously worried. Hiccup knew he could either put up with the pain or the wind. Either way, he'd end up sick. The lesser of two evils, he supposed. Moving his right arm slowly as to not cause _too_ much pain, he tried to reassure him.

"It's alright, Bud. It just hurts a bit." _A bit. Yeah, and Toothless is a Terrible Terror._ "Loosen it up a bit, would you?" Hiccup whispered. He wasn't sure if they were really alone out here, or if there was some hunter looking for them. He truly wished that he had enough fortitude to pull the arrow out and go to look for help of some kind. Even a Terrible Terror-

*SNAP*

Toothless sniffed the air, trying to determine who this new intruder was; Hiccup felt like hours had gone by before a familiar Terror flew practically right at him. Hiccup didn't know what to be more shocked about. The sudden stop or his reappearance...both were equally surprising, really. Toothless roared quietly, bringing him out of his moment of shock.

"Sharpshot?! What are you doing back here?" Looking for a letter of some sort, he was puzzled to find nothing attached on his leg. "You came back here on your own, didn't you?"

Sharpshot crawled on his head and looked at his side, not going any closer; he probably feared accidentally hurting Hiccup, ' _Which explains the sudden stop_ ', Hiccup mused. "I guess that now that you're here, I don't have to try to go looking for help. That's good, because I'm really tired all of the sudden."

The two dragons shrieked as Hiccup fell asleep and wouldn't wake back up again. Toothless looked at Sharpshot and roared, which made the Terrible Terror shoot off towards the Berserker ship as fast as his poor wings could go. He could only hope that he wouldn't be shot down by the hunters himself or even Dagur himself. He had heard his Hiccup mention that his brother was changing his opinion on dragons, but Hiccup could change people like that. Flying in circles above the ship, he looked specifically for Hiccup's brother, Dagur. It seemed like he was already getting some boats ready to find his Hiccup! Flying directly in his line of sight, Dagur put out his arm and allowed him to land.

"You're...Sharpshot, right? Hiccup's Terrible Terror?" Dagur asked, looking at the dragon in question.

Sharpshot gave him a lick in response, before flying back in Hiccup's direction and back. Dagur nodded and looked in that direction.

"Something tells me I should be bringing extra medical supplies on this trip, huh?" he mumbled, saying something about careless and reckless idiots.

Sharpshot went back towards Toothless and Hiccup, hoping he was awake again. Hiccup was still asleep, but Toothless was on guard as usual and waiting for Sharpshot's return. Toothless noticed the other dragon had come back, completely unharmed, meaning things were just fine. A few back and forth trips later left the Terror exhausted, but glad that his Hiccup would be okay and in safe hands with his brother. Both of the dragons watched sadly as Dagur directed his men to move Hiccup towards one of the small boats. Apparently, the medical supplies that they brought with them weren't enough. Sharpshot flew just above Hiccup, making sure the hunters didn't hit him or put any of them in danger. Toothless crawled into the other boat, moaning and keeping an eye on Hiccup at all times. He saw Dagur approaching and moaned, obviously hoping for a reprieve of some sort.

"Sorry, but I can't fit all of us in the one boat, and I have to keep an eye on him." Toothless roared indignantly at the thought, and Dagur rolled his eyes. "You both are so dramatic, you know that?" Toothless roared warningly, without any real heat to it. "Yeah, yeah; keep an eye on him from there, plus the hunters."

Dagur knew that the next several days were going to be really tough on everyone. He knew that arrow wounds in particular were fairly painful, even without an infection. He also knew that the hunters were going to be suspicious about the _convenient_ timing of Hiccup's illness, right after they shot something in the water. Then there was the fact that Hiccup had just up and done _exactly_ what he had specifically told him _not_ to do. He understood that Hiccup was used to no one ever listening to what he had to say, and that was going to change. They had plenty of time to talk about it, seeing as they still had an arrow to remove. As they approached the ship, he knew that Hiccup wasn't probably going to be able to stay unconscious for much longer. Glancing at Toothless, he couldn't tell which would be harder actually.

As they started to be pulled towards the deck, Hiccup was painfully and relentlessly pulled back to consciousness. Dagur was forced to hold his legs and left side down, to prevent him from being tossed out of the small boat. He saw Toothless come to help him pull Hiccup gently on the deck. Hiccup took his right arm and slowly moved it to inspect his wound, only to hiss in response. Dagur took his arm and put it back on his side, shaking his head in what was a myriad of emotions at this point. He was angry, confused and worried.

"What should I even do with you? I told you to stay out of trouble, but-" Dagur said, clenching his jaw in frustration.

"Dagur?" Hiccup asked, confused and tired, ready to go back to the realm of somewhere where pain didn't exist. "Just tell me, okay?" he mumbled, fading once again. Dagur didn't answer right away, more concerned about the wound.

"Don't worry about it. Right now, I have to get this out of you; and I gotta tell ya, it's gonna hurt."

"It's...okay." Hiccup mumbled, longing for that place where he could just sleep and feel nothing. Right before he could fall asleep, one of the men put something questionable between his teeth. He didn't need to bother asking what _that_ was for, especially since mere moments later Toothless was on his legs and the arrow was slowly being pulled out of his right side. He definitely knew what that strip in his mouth was for. He would've screamed, which is the last thing they needed right now. It was his fault, and he knew that. He wanted to curl into a ball or at the very least move out of reach somehow. It wouldn't make it hurt any less, he knew that, but-

"It's out, Hiccup. Try and relax a bit."

 _What?_

"I know it's hard to concentrate, but try to breathe." Dagur said, appearing right above him.

 _Oh._

"Try not to move your arm while I get it all wrapped up." Dagur said way too quietly as he removed something that felt like leather from between Hiccup's teeth. Hiccup closed his eyes for a moment in pain and hesitated to even look at his brother. Biting his lip, he barely opened his mouth before he was interrupted by Dagur, didn't seem to want to look at him anymore. "Toothless, take him back to his room and make sure he doesn't leave. There are some other things I need to get done, like seeing what the hunters think they saw."

As Hiccup watched him walk away without even a glance back, he forced back the onslaught of emotions until he got back to his room. After Toothless shut the door with his tail, Hiccup unconsciously ran to it. He didn't know why, but the door sounded like it slammed, making him feel like some prisoner in his own room. He ran to the only window of his considerably big room and felt pain in his arm when he tried to lift it. It wasn't much, just fresh air, but Toothless finally came and picked him up off the step he was on like he was just some child and deposited him on the bed. It was just as well, as the adrenaline from all of his emotions had exhausted him. He laid down, feeling more drained than he had in a long time. He felt like curling up into a small little ball of nothingness, hoping to just disappear. It was all his fault. He'd placed everyone in danger _again_ , just because he was bored and wanted to go on some adventure.

Hiccup hadn't felt so worthless in a long time, not since the time that Stoick had disowned him. Looking back on it made him almost smile humorlessly. Being disowned by Stoick after he just treated him like he was someone to always _geyja á_ was just the beginning, he supposed. Thinking back, he knew that a deep and dark part of him was saying that he should just get Toothless and never look back. He wasn't a part of the tribe anymore and he didn't owe them anything. They'd done nothing but treat him and his best friend with cruelty, really. The first experience Toothless had with the village was getting locked up and put on a boat. Why should they help at all? However, he knew it would be a cruel fate leaving all of them to be burned or worse. His...friends had their parents and family, and so did everyone back on Berk. He wouldn't leave others to suffer for things that some people had done. He knew Toothless wasn't especially keen on the idea at first, but they trusted each other regardless. As he stared at the wall, he distantly heard Toothless move around the room. He probably could have used some of the little energy he had left to see what he was doing, but all he could really do in his sluggish state was trying to find a blanket. All he managed to accomplish was a sharp pain in his arm and no blanket. Pulling his arm close to his chest, he closed his eyes in pain and unwillingly allowed more of his memories engulf him. He couldn't fight it as he saw his friend's faces when he had told them the truth about who he really was. He had opened himself up and had hoped for some sort of support, but all he had gotten was looks of disgust and shock. Granted, it made his decision to leave all the easier, but it hurt all the same. He absently felt Toothless put a blanket over him as he started to shiver. He couldn't help but try and curl up some more as Dagur turning away from him played over and over, each one crueler than the last.

Toothless knew that Dagur had told him to keep his rider confined in his room, but it was obvious that he was getting sick. He felt the heat from his where he sat, as he debated leaving him here or trying to get his brother. It had taken a while for him to start trusting everyone who had, until quite recently, been trying to capture and/or kill them. As it was, there wasn't much of a choice. Hiccup barely flinched as he was given a considerably wet lick, probably too deeply ensconced in his own private nightmares.

A/N: Yeah, I know I just left poor Toothless wondering if he should leave Hiccup or go and get Dagur. And even crueler of me to leave Hiccup in the middle of such nightmares, I guess. -_-'

Will Toothless try and find Dagur or stay with Hiccup? Will Dagur even want to be with Hiccup at all after walking away like he did? :o Where did Sharpshot go and where did he come from?

TBC…


End file.
